The Fiery Guardian
by CeruleanSwan26
Summary: (New, fresh reviews bring new updates) Seto almost worked himself to death. Luckily a feisty, charming woman prevented his untimely demise, and brought order and balance in the office. Mokuba sees an opportunity, and pushes an office romance, and falls for a shy, sweet, young woman with dark family ties that ruin everything for the Kaiba Brothers. (older SK/OC, older MK/OC)
1. Death Grip

**A/Ns:**

**Update 5-13-16**

Hello my dear fans and new readers!

About the Seto fanfic you are about to read (or have read and are returning for updates), I need to tell y'all some serious stuff and get it out of the way before we begin the fun stuff. Bolded, capitalized, and (sometimes)underlined stuff is what is emphasized and is key information to keep in mind. The rest is just regular information about the story.

Anyways, here goes:

* * *

 **THIS IS SLIGHTLY AU AND TAKES PLACE YEARS AFTER THE MAIN ARCS. THIS MEANS SETO AND MOKUBA ARE OLDER AND DEALING WITH REGULAR LIFE AT THIS POINT. THERE MAY BE SOME OOC-NESS,** **(But then again, I'm not the only one with OOC stuff, am I?) **  
******BUT IT IS THE RESULT OF CHANGING OVER TIME AND OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE INTRODUCED WITHIN THIS STORY.  
**

 **This will focus primarily on the evolution of Seto and my OC's (Misty Robinson) relationship and the drama that comes with it, along with Mokuba and his girlfriend's relationship (which will be revealed in a later chapter.)**

 **There is a method to my madness, and I don't put anything down without reason.**

There WILL be sex scenes in later chapters, and they will be pretty detailed and written using anatomical and clinical terminology. I will mark when the section featuring the sex scene will begin and end in the event y'all are so engrossed with the story but don't want to read that part for whatever reason. I will also give warning about violence.

As the story progresses, it will have a mix of sweet scenes, sexy scenes, tear-jerker scenes, and shockers that will hit you like a bolt of lightning, and you aren't going to want to miss them.

 **NO NEW CHAPTERS WILL BE POSTED UNLESS I GET FRESH, NEW REVIEWS (MINIMUM OF ONE) FOR THE LATEST CHAPTER THAT HAS BEEN POSTED (as well as previous chapters). THE RELEASE OF NEW CHAPTERS DEPENDS ON YOU.**

 **TROLL/BULLY REVIEWS DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE RELEASE OF NEW CHAPTERS. If you leave a troll/bully review, it  WILL be removed. I have ZERO tolerance for trolls/bullies.**  
 **(A troll/bully review is when there is nothing but negativity and insults.)**

 **CRITICISMS ARE ACCEPTED. (a  CRITICISM is when you say "You can improve x, y, z , etc. by specifically doing x, y, z , etc." AND you balance it with something positive. THAT is infinitely more helpful than pure insults.)**

 **To see which chapters are embargoed (on hold), please see my profile and scroll to the bottom.**

In the meantime, if you understand and accept these terms, PLEASE ENJOY!

* * *

On one brisk, early January morning...

Seto Kaiba was up and bustling about his opulent mansion as he prepared to take Mokuba to school and head to Kaiba Corp. to work for a while. He wasn't looking forward to the day ahead…another day of fruitless interviews for his assistant. He hated waking himself and Mokuba up at 5 a.m. to get ready for all this crap. The work just seemed to turn into mountains on his desk and in his office. He seriously needed someone to help him scale through the work mountain, before he was forever buried under its avalanche. True, he had Mokuba to help him, but there was only so much he and Mokuba could do, and he was already doing so much for an 18 year-old. He took a shower and tried to relax and calm his heavily frayed nerves, but it was no use. He got out of the shower and dressed in a blue shirt, black slacks, black shoes, and his long purple trench coat. He dried and combed his hair and sighed at his haggard reflection in the mirror. There was no way he could keep this up much longer.

"Please, Please, PLEASE at least give me ONE good candidate! I can't keep this up anymore!" Seto begged and hoped "God" was listening. He then sighed and realized that was a foolish thought, but he was desperate. He felt a snarling, painful lurch in his stomach to the point he let out an audible gasp and braced himself against his bathroom counter. He tried to take some aspirin to help the pain as he continued to get ready. He gave an amused smile as Mokuba sat at the breakfast nook dressed, but still half asleep.

"Mornin' Seto," Mokuba mumbled between bites of his breakfast of cold cereal.

"Good morning, Mokuba," Seto greeted and got himself a bowl of cereal. It was light, and he hoped that it would help his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Mokuba asked as he picked up the fact that Seto looked like he was hiding a bit of pain. His grey eyes looked over his brother worriedly. Seto couldn't afford to get sick or be hurt.

"I'm fine Mokuba, just a stomach ache… it'll pass," Seto assured him. Though, he didn't understand why he was hurting so much.

"Maybe you can reschedule the interviews you have today and rest?" Mokuba suggested.

"No, I'll be fine," Seto insisted stubbornly as he ate. Though, Mokuba did have a good idea. He really wished he could tell the bimbos coming in today he needed to reschedule, but there was too much to be done, and there was no way he could deal with double the interviews he normally had if he rescheduled them.

"Seto, you need a break…" Mokuba insisted. "You're going to get sick…" he said with a tinge of fear lacing his voice.

"I'll be fine Mokuba. Don't worry about me," Seto commanded. Mokuba sighed. They finished their cereal and quietly gathered their things. The pain had not subsided, but Seto kept going. Edward, their chauffer had dropped Mokuba off at school.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Edward asked.

"I'm FINE!" Seto snapped.

"…if you say so…" Edward replied tentatively. "Just say the word and I'll take you to your doctor," he offered.

"WHAT PART OF I'M FINE DIDN'T YOU GET?!" Seto snapped and winced.

"…Alright sir…" Edward sighed and parked in front of the building. Why did his boss have to be so stubborn? Seto marched up to his office and got settled in and started to read his emails while gripping his desk. Why was this pain not going away?!

"Stay calm Seto… you can get through this day…" he told himself.

"… _if you're lucky…" his inner self countered._

" _What is that supposed to mean?!" he snarled at his inner self._

" _You're obviously unwell… something bad is happening and you're keeled over in pain. Please go to a doctor and have your secretary tell the bimbos to reschedule! You will deeply regret it if you don't go! You might even collapse during an interview if you're not careful!" his inner self begged._

" _I'LL BE FINE!" Seto screamed at his inner self._

" _Have it your way then…" his inner self sighed._

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Misty Robinson's alarm clock screeched at 6:00 a.m.

"Okay, I'm up!" Misty yelled at her alarm clock and shut it off with a groan. She was definitely NOT a morning person… but she had to drag her curvy, pear-shaped body out of bed in order to prepare for her interview today. She sighed as she got up and zombie-walked to her bathroom to use the restroom and get showered and cleaned up. She peeled off her pajamas and turned on the water, waiting for the perfect temperature before climbing in with a contented sigh. As she let the water rain down on her and lathered up, she was mentally going through the notes she had taken about Kaiba Corp., about its CEO, Seto Kaiba, whom she would be interviewing with, and about the answers to his questions. She was nervous. She needed this job, any job, now. This job however, was paying more than any other job she interviewed for, and it would cover everything she needed and then some. It would be a huge blessing if she got this job.

"Lord, I praise You, magnify You, and glorify You. Lord, I bless this opportunity You have bestowed upon me, and I pray that I please get this job. You know very well that I need this job, and I pray You give me the right things to say. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen," she prayed. She finished her shower and smelled so fresh and clean. She dried off, cleansed her face, and then got dressed in a tasteful interview outfit and some of her favorite pieces of jewelry, including a "lucky" blue and white dragon pendant holding a crystal. She was satisfied with her reflection. The turquoise peasant top flowed just right over her curvy torso, and the black slacks and black blazer gave a slimmer look, especially over her ample hips and bottom. The dragon added just a little bit of character flair, and she figured he might appreciate it since she read that he loved the Blue Eyes White Dragon…whatever that was… She put on some socks and comfortable, dressy black boots, and then went to get her things together. She put her folder with resumes and a dressy purse by the door so she could grab it and go. She also made sure she put her "lucky" Wingweaver card in the purse, along with everything else she needed. She made herself a quick breakfast of instant oatmeal, and then returned to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and put her hair in a soft half-pony before starting on her makeup.

A few minutes later, she was satisfied when her makeup and gasped when she saw the time on her watch; she had to leave NOW, or she would miss her bus; she hated being late, and she could not afford to start off with a bad impression. She grabbed her purse, folder, and everything else, locked up her apartment, and hurried to the bus stop, with just a couple minutes to spare. She was relieved. She also noticed it was pretty overcast and hoped it wouldn't rain while she was out, especially since she didn't have her umbrella; she couldn't believe she forgot that. The bus approached her stop and she boarded, flashed her monthly pass, and settled into a seat near the front of the bus and continued to mentally rehearse and prepare for the interview.

A little while later, Misty then heard the automated voice on the bus loudspeaker announce that they were approaching the stop nearest to Kaiba Corp. Misty pulled the cord and gathered her things neatly and stood, waiting for the bus to stop. When they got to her stop, she walked to the exit.

"Thank you," she told the bus driver as she stepped off and straightened up before walking through the glass doors at Kaiba Corp's grand entrance, adorned by 2 Alabaster dragon statues on either side of the doors. The sky had darkened a little, and there was a flash of lightning in the distance, and there was a rumble of thunder. Misty sighed a little heavily, but she didn't let it get to her. She approached the front desk with what was known as a Texan walk, which was a walk characterized by the strong, straight posture that alluded confidence and friendliness. Misty waited for the receptionist to get off the phone and signed in on the visitor log. Once the receptionist was off the phone, Misty gave her a warm, friendly smile. Misty noticed her name was Mary, and she was a brunette woman in her 30s.

"How can I help you?" Mary asked warmly and with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Mary, I'm Misty Robinson and I'm here for an interview with Mr. Kaiba," Misty greeted.

"Ah yes. Welcome and good luck. He's on the top floor, at the end of the hall, behind the mahogany doors that are carved with Blue Eyes White Dragons," she directed.

"Thank you ma'am," Misty replied with another friendly smile and walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor and hummed along with the elevator music. She was starting to have strong, surging feelings, like something HUGE was about to happen. She shuddered involuntarily; it was one of those big shudders that rocked her body completely.

"Whoa…" Misty whispered to herself and tried to steady herself. "Easy, Misty," she told herself to try and help herself relax. That was so weird. She felt her protective instincts set up. "What the heck is going on?" she asked herself.

" _Your guess is as good as mine…" her inner self replied._

She got to the top floor and saw the big Mahogany doors with the dragons she assumed were Blue Eyes White Dragons. She saw a blonde woman with her hair in a headache-inducing, tight and slick bun and a black business suit and briefcase. She had cold grey eyes and didn't acknowledge Misty. Misty also saw a resume in her hands.

"Hello, I'm Misty," Misty introduced herself with a friendly smile and a friendly handshake. The woman reluctantly shook her hand and had a firm handshake that was rough. Misty had a firm, but friendly handshake in comparison.

"I'm Lilly," the woman replied in a curt, cold tone.

"Nice to meet you," Misty replied warmly, but it was a bit of a lie.

"Mhm…" Lilly nodded. There was an awkward silence and Misty sat down. Lilly scooted down a little more, trying to avoid her.

" _Good lord! She's a frigid bitch!" Misty's inner self exclaimed._

" _Yeah, she is," Misty agreed._ A man with slicked black hair and a navy suit, an ear piece, sunglasses, and a mustache came to the door.

"Ms. Woods?" Mr. Kaiba is ready for you," the man announced and led her inside and shut the door behind her.

While Misty waited, she readied her resume and listened to the thunder crashing outside. She also picked her Wingweaver card out of her purse and caressed it fondly as she closed her eyes, reminiscing about when her annoying but sweet brother had given it to her, as a good luck charm, because Wingweaver reminded him of her. She treasured Wingweaver, and hoped she would bring luck. She felt the protective instinct surge through her once again as she stroked it. She felt overwhelmed by the feeling and put Wingweaver back in her purse. She gripped her seat to steady herself.

* * *

Seto was trying to focus on the interview with this Lilly Woods, but it was difficult, especially since she brought about a frigid aura in with her the moment she walked in. Yes, he was glad SOMEONE was FINALLY dressed professionally for once, but her personality grated on him. She was colder than he was, and he was pretty damn cold. He didn't think he could stand to be in the office with her if he hired her. True, she was qualified, in fact maybe OVER-qualified, but he couldn't deal with her.

"I'm sorry Ms. Woods, but you're not a good fit for this position," Seto announced after he had enough of dealing with her frigidity.

"…Why not?" she asked surprised. That was the first time he had seen ANY emotion from her the entire interview.

"You're seriously uptight and you're more frigid than the arctic. I do not want to walk into an office that is frozen cold by your frigid personality," Seto answered bluntly.

"Excuse me?!" Lilly replied aghast.

"Were you not listening?! You're too frigid to be my assistant! Go work for the government! Get out!" Seto snarled. Lilly snatched up her things roughly and stormed out.

Misty was surprised by the sudden and hasty exit of Lilly.

"Roland, please send in Misty Robinson," Seto requested and looked pained again.

"Are you sure, Mr. Kaiba?" Roland asked, noticing his pain.

"Yes!" Seto hissed. Roland nodded and poked his head outside again and saw Misty sitting there.

"Ms. Robinson? Mr. Kaiba is ready for you." Misty nodded and got her things together and got up and went inside. "Thank you," Misty told Roland politely as she entered the office. When she looked at Mr. Kaiba, she couldn't help but gasp just a little in surprise. She was expecting someone older, not the tall, handsome brunet man with blue eyes in front of her, and he looked about her age too. She also noticed that he looked haggard and sick. He was sweating like he had a fever and he looked like he was in pain. She felt her protective instincts scream at her. So…he was the one responsible for sending her instincts into overdrive. He looked surprised when he looked at her too, because of her surprised reaction, and the fact that she was stylish and professional, and had a warm air about her. He was starting to hallucinate a little. He swore he could see an ethereal glow emanating off of her. He shook his head to clear his head.

"Hello… I'm Seto Kaiba," Seto introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Misty Robinson," Misty introduced himself and gave him a firm, but friendly handshake. They both felt an electric surge the moment their hands made contact, which seemed to be amplified by his sweaty palms. Seto was aware of the moisture and was a little embarrassed.

"Sorry…" he apologized awkwardly.

"It's fine… are you alright, Mr. Kaiba?" Misty asked concerned.

"I'm fine!" Seto insisted.

"Are you sure?" Misty pressed.

"I'm fine!" Seto snapped.

"…if you say so sir." She felt her protective instincts surge violently.

"Let's get started," Seto prompted. Misty handed him a resume and he looked it over, but it was blurry.

"So, where are you from? I don't recall seeing you around town before, and you have a different air about you compared to everyone else in town," Seto asked curiously. He was sure he had interviewed just about every woman in Domino City with as many bimbos that had come over the last few months.

"I'm from San Antonio, TX," Misty answered.

"I see. So, what interested you…in…my company?" Seto asked slowly as he tried to stay calm.

"Well, I simply figured I could be of assistance with your administrative assistant position. I responded to the urgency in your ad, and what you were offering aligned with what I was looking for, and I figured I could be of great assistance to you. I had also worked in my dad's office and helped to dramatically cut his workload down. I have a focused, efficient style to get as much done as I can without expending too much energy," Misty explained. Seto nodded as he understood. He was trying to think of the next question but his mind felt hazy and blank. There was an awkward silence.

"Mr. Kaiba?" Misty asked concerned after the uncomfortable silence got too unbearable. Seto felt an internal burst in his stomach.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Seto screamed loudly, startling Misty, and he fell out of his chair onto the floor and clutched his stomach and had tears streaming down his face in agony. Misty was totally freaked out and was ejected out of her chair thanks to the protective instinct that had been coiled like a rattlesnake lying in wait to attack. She rushed to his side and Seto was clutching at his stomach.

"Mr. Kaiba! I'm here!" Misty reassured him. Seto was terrified and was starting to see the world turn red and hot around him. He was beyond terrified. The only thing comforting to him was hearing Misty tell him she was there. She was bright white against the redness. The thunder rumbled outside and gave an effect of the world breaking away and sinister demons coming up, intent to take him away. Seto was screaming and clutched onto Misty's hands tightly, desperate not to go. Misty held his hand tightly, reassuring him that she was still here.

"HELP! PLEASE HELP!" Misty called out desperately. Roland came running in the instant she called for help. He had heard Seto screaming and had started running from the break room.

"What's going on?!" Roland demanded as he saw Seto clutching onto Misty's hand and was in agony and sheer terror.

"I think his appendix burst or something! Call an ambulance and help me get him downstairs!" Misty exclaimed frantically.

"Hang on Mr. Kaiba!" she begged. Seto held her hand harder. "OW!" Misty exclaimed but let him hold on while Roland frantically called an ambulance to rush there. He was assured they were on the way and he helped pick Seto up in a fire-person's carry. Seto would not let Misty go.

"DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" Seto screamed.

"Who?!" Misty demanded.

"Demons!" Seto yelled and screamed in agony.

"Shit!" Misty exclaimed shocked. He was dying in front of her and the demons were trying to drag him to hell. "Mr. Kaiba! Please hang on! Help is on the way! Don't die on me!" She was forced to run at Roland's flank because Seto refused to let her go. Roland brought them into Mr. Kaiba's personal elevator and they went down to the lobby quickly to wait for the paramedics. Seto's screaming and frantic agony was drawing a crowd. Misty kept reassuring him that she was still there and kept begging him to hang on. The paramedics got there and rushed him and Misty into the ambulance. Misty winced as he gripped harder on her, frightened as the paramedics worked on him and they were rushing to the hospital. The clock was ticking. Misty was starting to get scared but didn't want him to get more frightened than he already was, so she kept whispering reassurances to him, which kept him somewhat calm. The paramedics confirmed that he had appendicitis.

It wasn't long before they got to the hospital and rushed him into the operating room, the paramedics quickly telling the doctors that he had appendicitis and was suffering septic shock. Since Seto refused to let her go, the nurses covered her clothes with a long smock, shoe covers, a hat, and a mask. They had to cut one sleeve on the smock so they could put it on her arm, on which she couldn't free. The nurses also put an anesthesia mask on him and had to cut his clothes off. Misty was shocked; she couldn't believe she was seeing what might've been her potential boss naked and about to be cut open. She was given a chair because the surgery was going to be a while and he wasn't letting go. She continued to whisper to him, reassuring him. The doctors covered him with the blue surgical tarp, put iodine on the patch of skin on his stomach where they were about to cut, and quickly made the incision. Misty continued talking to him and holding his hand as she watched the urgent surgery.

"Please be okay, please be okay," she begged him.

* * *

 **A/N** : I hope you enjoyed ch. 1!

Don't forget to leave a review! Remember a MINIMUM of ONE review for the latest chapter posted will ensure updates!


	2. Don't Leave!

Misty watched the doctors open up the bloody skin flap where they had made the incision and pinned it to a smoother patch of skin. She continued whispering reassurances to Seto as she watched the surgery. Even though her talking to him kept him relatively calm, there was still a look of terror on his sleeping face.

"Just hang on, you're doing well. Hang on," Misty begged. She wouldn't know what to do if he died holding her hand. Oh this was going to be an interview she NEVER would forget about.

The doctors quickly located where his appendix had been and readied a tray to collect the treacherously septic debris. They carefully but swiftly removed each piece they had found and put it in the tray. Misty had to admit to herself that watching this surgery this close was fascinating. It wasn't disgusting to her because she had been conditioned to seeing internal body parts when she would watch her father gut, skin, and butcher the animals they hunted.

The surgery had taken about 2 hours to finish. The doctors did one last check to make sure they had gotten all of his toxic appendix debris, and that there was nothing they left inside during the surgery.

They ensured that the area in which they had operated was infection free and then unpinned his skin flap, stitched him up, sealed it with an antibiotic surgical caulk to speed healing, and put a bandage on the stitches.

"You're going to be okay, Mr. Kaiba," Misty whispered in his ear. She noticed how he was infinitely much more relaxed. She was relieved and sighed heavily. She watched the doctors congratulate each other over the successful operation and they started to clean up their mess. She tried to see if he would release his grip on her hand, but he kept holding her hand firmly, even as she stood up and the nurses moved him to his hospital bed. She walked alongside the bed as they moved him to a posh, private room to recover.

" _Wow! Swanky! I've never seen a hospital room like this!" she remarked in her head._

" _I'm sure they reserve these rooms for the elite and VIPs," her inner self inferred._

" _You're probably right… hence why I've never seen a room like that," Misty agreed. It was actually pretty sad to her; these VIPs and elite people got better rooms than normal people, and likely better care. "Well, I might as well enjoy seeing one now since he won't let go," Misty thought._

" _Yeah. I think he REALLY likes you," her inner self pointed out._

" _Ya think?" Misty retorted sarcastically and laughed internally and sighed. "It looks like I'm going to be here all night... or at least until he wakes up and lets go," Misty observed._

" _Likely. You might need to have the nurses help you get him to let go of your hand if you have to go to the bathroom," her inner self pointed out._

" _That's true… I hope he wakes up soon," Misty replied._ She watched his sleeping face and admired how handsome he looked as he slept. She turned on the TV quietly and watched it for a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Seto's head…

That was the scariest experience he had ever had in his entire life; it was scarier than the time his soul was trapped in other realms during some failures of battles he cared not to remember. This time, he was in actual danger of being gone for eternity. The demons were horrifying as they kept trying to drag him to hell. That was the only way he could describe the fiery redness that had engulfed everything around him earlier. He heard horrible screams in the crevices the demons were trying to drag him into. The demons were the ugliest creatures he had EVER seen, and they were vicious. They kept trying to rip him away from the white light he clung to so desperately. The white light was reassuring and warm, and he could hear Misty Robinson's voice telling him that she was still there and she begged him to hang on. He was only too happy to oblige to that request. She was his lifeline. If he let go, the demons would've dragged him to the point of no return. The demons threw immortal ropes on him and yanked and pulled roughly, trying to drag him into the darkness. As he was being dragged, his mind was flooded with terrible memories of his life. He also numbly felt himself be stripped naked by the monstrous demons, and his belly split open by them. They started removing his insides. He continued hanging on to Misty the white angel's hand and felt comforted knowing that she was still there reassuring him the entire time. Not long after, his belly had been closed and the hellish surroundings and demons were gone, and everything was at peace, especially when Misty had told him that he was going to be ok. He kept hanging on to her hand because she brought an extra air of peace, and there was an electric connection in their hands that felt so right. He was scared to let go. He wanted out of this oblivion.

"Come on Seto! Wake up!" he tried to command himself, but his body didn't seem to want to. It seemed like it wanted to sleep for a while. Well, he had to admit, he hadn't slept in a while, so he might as well enjoy it, especially if she was still holding his hand. He did hear white background noise, but kept sleeping.

* * *

Misty continued watching him sleep and shifted her attention back to the TV every so often. Then, she had to go to the bathroom and she was incredibly hungry. She thought about going to the cafeteria to get something to eat, but then she realized she left her purse in the office. She sighed as her stomach grumbled. At least she could see if the nurses could help her get him to let go so she could use the restroom. She pressed the button and a nurse came in.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I have to go to the bathroom…" Misty replied.

"The bathroom's right here, ma'am," the nurse answered with an "are you serious?" tone.

" _Rude bitch!" Misty thought._

"I'd like to go to the bathroom, but he won't let go of my hand…" Misty retorted. "Can you please help me get him to let go?"

"Oh," the nurse replied sheepishly and got another nurse to help. They pried his fingers off her hand and he resisted.

"Come back!" he called out in his sleep and resisted against the nurses in his sleep.

Misty took a deep breath, relieved and used the restroom in his hospital room. That felt so much better! She washed her hands and came back to see he was still resisting the nurses. She sat down in the chair again and let his frantic hand find hers and grab it and hold on. He immediately relaxed again.

Misty thought it was strange that she had THAT much of an effect on him, but whatever.

"Don't go anywhere again, please," he whispered, still asleep.

"Alright," Misty agreed. The nurses left the room again and she resumed her back and forth glancing and watching TV, at least until the man who helped her earlier, Roland, she thought his name was, came in carrying her things. A young man with long black hair, grey eyes, a blue school uniform, and a panicked expression came in right behind him.

"Seto!" he exclaimed worriedly and went to the bedside and hugged him. There were tears in his eyes.

"Here you go, Ms. Robinson," Roland said as he handed her purse and folder over to her.

"Thank you so much! Roland, is it?" Misty thanked him profusely.

"Yes ma'am, that's correct," Roland confirmed with a smile.

"This is such a relief! I don't know what I would've done without my purse and everything in it," she replied.

"My pleasure. So, is he going to be ok?" Roland asked softly.

"Yes. We got him here just in time. He wouldn't let me go, at all. I was there in the operating room with him. By the way, he's going to need some fresh clothes… the nurses had to cut them off so they could do the surgery quickly, and he's going to have to stay until tomorrow," Misty explained.

"Got it. I'll get him some fresh clothes in a little while. Thank you so much for staying with him," Roland thanked her.

"You're welcome," Misty nodded.

"Mokuba, come here please," Roland requested. The black haired young man reluctantly left Seto's side and went to Roland and Misty.

"Please tell me he's going to be ok! I …I can't lose him! He's all I have!" Mokuba begged Misty frantically.

"He's going to be just fine. We got him here just in time. He was very lucky," Misty reassured him. Mokuba sobbed relieved and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much for being there for him!" he exclaimed sobbing into her shoulder. She hugged him back a little awkwardly at first, but relaxed into the hug.

"You're welcome. It was nothing… I just happened to be there at the right time. I did what any decent human would do," Misty answered modestly.

"No! Not many people would step up like you did!" Mokuba protested.

"…What?" Misty asked confused.

"My brother…doesn't have many fans… aside from some 'bimbo fangirls…'" Mokuba explained awkwardly. "I'm sure there would be a number of people who wouldn't have helped him, but you did! And I'm so thankful you were there and are still here for him!" he told her.

"Yeah. He was REALLY attached to me. He held my hand so desperately, there was no way I could've gone anywhere," Misty replied.

"Would you have stayed with him even if he didn't hold your hand so desperately?" Mokuba asked his grey eyes so puffy and watery.

"Yes," Misty answered. She genuinely would have. Her protective instincts wouldn't have let her go, nor could she anyway; her bus pass was in her wallet, which she didn't have. Plus, she was genuinely worried if he would make it.

"Thank you!" Mokuba exclaimed and continued hugging her tight. "I'll make sure you're rewarded somehow!"

"Well…if possible, I would like a second chance at an interview…" Misty replied modestly.

"Well, I can interview you! I know just as much as Seto does about the company and what he's looking for," Mokuba assured her.

"Okay then," Misty agreed. Mokuba pulled up another chair and sat across from her.

"Let's start with the formal introductions. I'm Mokuba Kaiba, Seto's brother, and Vice President of Kaiba Corp.," Mokuba introduced himself.

"I'm Misty Robinson," Misty introduced herself and shook his hand with her free hand.

"So, Where are you from?" Mokuba asked curiously with a smile.

"I'm from San Antonio, Texas, in the U.S." Misty answered.

"Ah, that explains why we haven't seen you around town before," Mokuba remarked. Misty pursed her lips and nodded. "Well, welcome to Domino City. So, what brought you here?"

"Thank you. Well, I came to Japan mostly for the culture, and I found I adored Domino City. The people were pretty friendly, and I decided to roost here," Misty explained. Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah Domino's nice. So, what interested you in Kaiba Corp.?"

"I do have office experience from the time when I was assisting my dad in the office he managed for an internal medicine specialist, and I was impressed with the high technology Kaiba Corp utilizes. I figured I could apply my experience and be as much help as I can," Misty answered. Mokuba nodded.

"We need help with the paperwork the most, that way we can focus more on innovations and improvements in our technology," Mokuba told her.

"I can do that," Misty assured him.

"What kind of work did you do in your dad's office?" Mokuba asked.

"I would do data-entry, update databases, prepare statements to be mailed, scanning, filing, make copies, and disposal of old documents," Misty answered. "I cut down dad's paperwork about 60% more or less.

"Good, good. So, what happened with working with your dad at the office?"

"The office closed down. The doctor decided to retire," Misty answered.

"Ah I see. What did you do after that?"

"After that, I worked at SeaWorld as a photographer, then I worked in the Fabrics and Crafts department at Walmart, and then I came here."

"You worked at a theme park?" Mokuba asked and smiled.

"I certainly did, in fact I worked at both of San Antonio's main theme parks, SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, both parks as a photographer, but when I first started at SeaWorld so many years ago, I worked in the culinary department doing catered events. I was also a monster there during Halloween season at least a couple times," Misty recanted with a fond smile. They were some fun times.

"Seto and I also have our own theme park too," Mokuba beamed proudly. Misty smiled too.

"That's very cool," Misty replied.

"It's one of our crown jewels. We had always wanted to build it since we were kids and we just got it going a few years ago," Mokuba gushed proudly.

"I'll have to check it out sometime," she promised.

"Oh as our assistant, you will DEFINITELY get to see it and become intimately familiar with it. Some of the paperwork you'll be handling is about our park. And we'd love to know about your experiences with the parks sometime," Mokuba told her.

"Certainly," Misty responded and told him about what it was like working at the theme parks. Mokuba smiled widely.

"That is awesome! I think you'll be very helpful with our theme park stuff too. But, back to more about the assistant position. We deal a LOT with duel monster technology. How skilled are you at dueling?" Mokuba asked.

"I've never dueled before… "Misty admitted awkwardly. "I don't really know about what duel monsters are… I do have ONE card, but that's it… I keep it only for sentimental reasons. My brother gave me the card as a good luck charm because he said she reminded him of me," Misty answered and showed him her Wingweaver card. Mokuba smiled.

"It's fitting. I see why he gave you Wingweaver. She's a strong, powerful angel. So, he has a deck. Does he duel?" Mokuba asked as he handed Wingweaver back.

"No, he never learned how to duel. He just collects the cards. He said he wanted to learn, but moved onto something else," she explained.

"Oh. I see. Well I suppose Seto and I can help you get a deck going and teach you," Mokuba offered.

"Sure, if it helps me be a better assistant," Misty agreed. Mokuba smiled and told her the specifics about the job, the schedule, the perks, the pay, and everything else she needed to know.

"You can come by in a couple days and we can get the paperwork going to bring you on, and you can start Monday," Mokuba offered.

"Wow really?" Misty asked incredulously. Mokuba smiled and nodded.

"Welcome aboard. We look forward to working with you," Mokuba announced and shook her hand.

"I'll make you proud!" Misty promised and Mokuba chuckled.

"Good. I'm so glad you came to us. You're a lifesaver!" Mokuba complimented her.

"Thank you. Um, Mokuba, I'm a bit curious…" Misty began.

"What are you curious about?" Mokuba implored.

"Well, you mentioned that he was all you had… what does that mean? And I don't understand why nobody would help him," Misty answered.

"Well, it's a long story… but I'll give you the shortest version possible. Seto and I were orphaned when Seto was 8 and I was 2. Our family squandered our money from our inheritance and dumped us at the orphanage. Seto made sure we stayed together and protected me at the orphanage. He also made sure that Gozaburo Kaiba, the previous CEO of Kaiba Corp. and a chess champion, adopted us. Gozaburo was cruel, and taught him everything about running the company. Seto proved he was smarter than him, and with my help, we had the majority of the shares of the company and took over and changed everything to the gaming corporation it is today, but it wasn't easy. And Seto had to be ruthless and cold to stay on top. He made enemies or rivals instead of friends, but he still had time for me. He strove to be the best duelist in Domino and eventually the world, along with us dodging danger and building our theme park. And then the work started to build up faster than we could manage, and then it grew out of control. Seto didn't want to ask for help, but then eventually had no choice. We spent the last few MONTHS looking for help, but always came up empty. Nobody seriously wanted to help us, except for some of his bimbo fangirls who only wanted to be his assistant with the chance to hook up with him. The other companies were content to let us sink and fail. We were starting to think we'd never get out of the hole we were in. And when he almost died today, I was terrified… I wouldn't have known what to do by myself… but then here you are. You came just in time to save us from drowning, and we will always be grateful. Don't feel bad if Seto doesn't express that...he can be a bit cold and sharp, but he was molded that way, to keep us thriving and surviving. He does have a warm heart under that icy exterior he built. He just needs to trust you and warm up to you before he allows you to see it. I will make sure he's kind to you," Mokuba explained.

"Wow," Misty remarked a little surprised and stunned. "Thank you for telling me that," she told him.

"You're welcome."

"Say is there anything else I can do to help warm him up to me?" Misty asked.

"Well, he respects boldness, innovation, ideas, and people who are strong, assertive, will take initiative, and are quick learners. He also loves coffee to help keep him going and going, but I want him to relax a little, for his health. He can't relax if he feels he HAS to do everything and can't get away from work. I want you to assure him that you can handle the work and help him learn to walk away from work at a decent hour so he can come home and relax and just be himself without having to worry about any work business until he goes back to the office the next day. He also needs someone who can calmly handle a crisis. He also tends to not eat or sleep much. If you can help him with all that, I can assure you he will be happy," Mokuba offered.

"Challenge accepted. I'm your woman for the job," Misty replied and Mokuba smiled.

"Thank you!" Mokuba exclaimed and sighed elated. "Here, I'll get Seto to let you go and I'll have Roland get you some dinner and take you home."

"Thank you, Mokuba," Misty told him and nodded slightly in gratitude. Her stomach rumbled after he offered to have Roland get her dinner and take her home. Misty and Mokuba chuckled. Mokuba then went to Seto's bedside and started to wake his brother.

"Seto… wake up…" Mokuba said softly in his ear. Seto groaned and stirred, stretching his limbs.

"Let me sleep Mokuba…" he mumbled.

"You have all night and day tomorrow to sleep. You need to let Misty go. She has to go home," Mokuba countered. Seto slowly woke up and saw his brother.

"Hey Mokuba…" he greeted and then realized he was in a hospital room and wearing nothing but a hospital gown and gasped.

"Why am I in a hospital room?" he asked.

"You had appendicitis. Misty saved your life and she's been here the whole time. You wouldn't let her go," Mokuba explained and lightly punched his brother's shoulder.

"Ow! Mokuba! What was that for?!" Seto exclaimed annoyed.

"That was for scaring me nearly to death! I told you that you had to rest, but you wouldn't listen, and you almost died because of it! You are so lucky Misty was there and saved you! What would I do without you?!" he snapped at him and started crying. Seto then realized what had happened and recalled the demons and the fact that he was desperately holding onto Misty's hand, the white light, and the comforting warmth. He hugged his brother.

"I'm sorry…" he sheepishly apologized and held him for a few minutes. He escaped death… thanks to Misty. He then turned to her and realized how lovely she was. He only vaguely saw how she was earlier thanks to the fact that he was sick earlier.

"Thank you… for saving me… and staying…" he told her sheepishly. He was obviously uncomfortable with giving thanks, particularly because he hated owing people more than anything.

"You're welcome," Misty replied with a warm smile.

"Oh by the way, I hired her to be our assistant," Mokuba announced.

"What?" Seto asked surprised.

"Well, we need an assistant NOW, she was willing to be that, and she saved your life. She was the perfect fit. And you better be nice to her and be willing to listen to her!" Mokuba commanded. Seto was surprised by the assertiveness Mokuba exhibited.

"Alright, alright," Seto agreed flippantly.

"No! I demand it! You will treat her well and take her seriously!" Mokuba commanded.

"Mokuba, I said I would do it…" Seto protested.

"Good!" Mokuba exclaimed. "She is starting Monday, and will be by to do her paperwork in a couple days. That gives you time to rest. After she does her paperwork, I expect you to take a few days off until Monday and rest!" Mokuba commanded.

"…Alright…" Seto agreed, but was uncomfortable by the thought of the buildup. Misty felt a little awkward watching the exchange, but said nothing.

"Roland, how about we go now?" Misty piped up.

"Good idea," Roland agreed and led her to the limo. Misty held her purse close and saw the chauffer open the door for them.

"Thank you," Misty told the chauffer with a smile as she got in.

"Thank you Edward," Roland said after her.

"You're welcome. Where to?" Edward asked. Roland looked at Misty.

"Well, Mokuba said I could get dinner and get a ride home. I was wondering if we could pick up some teriyaki beef and fried rice," Misty requested and wrote her address down on a spare piece of paper. "And this is the address at which I live," she added.

"Yes ma'am," Edward nodded with a kind smile and closed the door and got in the driver's seat and drove her to a restaurant to get the food she requested in the drive thru, courtesy of the corporate card Roland used.

"Thank you Roland," Misty told Roland.

"You're welcome Misty," Roland replied. About 10 minutes later, they were parked near the base of the stairs leading up to her apartment. She gathered the bag of food, her purse, and her folder and Edward opened the door for her.

"Thank you again," Misty bade before getting her keys out of her purse and ascended the stairs. She unlocked her door and waved down to them before going inside. She locked the door and sighed heavily. She put her things on the table near the door, and brought her food and drink to the dining table. She went and changed into something comfortable, and then relaxed as she turned on the TV and sat down to eat. She couldn't believe everything that happened today; she saved her boss's life, saw him naked, and watched him undergo urgent surgery, and then sat with him holding his hand feeling an electric connection, until Mokuba and Roland came, and then on top of that, she was hired. She was definitely NOT going to forget this, ever… Right now the most important thing was that she saved his life, and she had a job as his assistant. She smiled as she ate and wondered how she would get him to relax like Mokuba wanted her to.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Thank you for reading ch. 2. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters.


	3. Visiting Hours

After Edward and Roland had dropped Misty off, Roland had told Edward to go back to the mansion so he could get Seto some fresh clothes. Then Edward took him back to the hospital once Roland had the extra set of clothes.

"Here you go sir, some fresh clothes for you," Roland announced as he walked in.

"Thank you Roland," Seto replied and gestured where he could put his clothes. He was still in shock and disbelief that he'd just escaped certain death. Why did she help him? She didn't know him, she owed him nothing, and she could've let him die right there and leave Mokuba in a nightmare… but she didn't… nothing mattered to her except him being ok… He owed his life to her…and he hated it; he hated owing anybody ANYTHING. How could he pay her back? He would need to figure something out. Since she was his assistant, he could ferret out a way for him to pay her back somehow. The thought that she was his assistant made him melt in relaxation. He and Mokuba FINALLY had some help to get everything done! No more torturous interviews! It was heavenly bliss knowing he, Mokuba, and Misty could focus on tackling the mountain of work together. He glanced skyward and smiled and whispered "Thank you!"

"Who are you whispering to, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"Whoever sent Misty to us," Seto answered quickly.

 _"Don't waste your second chance!" a voice inside his head boomed._

"Yeah! She's an angel! I'm so glad she found us!" he agreed. Seto nodded.

"We can certainly relax a little now. I just hope she's strong enough to keep up with all our work," Seto remarked.

"Oh, I have no doubt she will be. The only thing we really have to worry about doing with her is teaching her how to duel," Mokuba replied.

"She doesn't know how to duel?" Seto asked incredulously.

"No, but she seems teachable. Plus, she has a Wingweaver that she keeps for sentimental reasons; her brother gave it to her because Wingweaver reminded him of her, so she treasures it. It's like how you treasure your Blue Eyes," Mokuba answered, trying to sell her up a little more. Seto thought about it with his lips pursed. Well, he figured he could at least give her a try. If Mokuba liked her enough to hire her, how bad could she be? "Plus she has office experience when she worked with her dad in a doctor's office, so we know she can be confidential about particular information, and she had a lot of valuable insight as to what it's like working in a theme park. I think we struck gold with her," Mokuba added.

Not too long later, a nurse came in and said that visiting hours were over and that Mokuba and Roland had to go home.

"See you tomorrow after school big bro!" Mokuba bade. "Get some good rest," he commanded.

"Alright," Seto replied and watched him and Roland leave as the nurse closed the door. He sighed as he lay there. He watched TV for a little while before he got tired enough to sleep. He turned off the TV and fell asleep. He woke up a few times from a couple nightmares, but found himself dreaming about her. He felt strangely at peace seeing her in his dreams. It was probably because he couldn't wait for her to work.

* * *

The next day after Misty had done a little grocery shopping and put everything away, she got back on the bus and decided to go to the hospital to visit her new boss. She figured it would be a nice gesture. He was probably bored out of his mind. Plus, she figured it would be a nice opportunity to get to know each other informally. She wanted to start off on the right foot with him and make him feel at ease. She stopped at the nearest coffee shop to the hospital and got some coffee and hot chocolate. She went inside the hospital and headed to the room, waiting for the elevators on the way.

* * *

Inside Seto's room, he was utterly bored; the TV only helped alleviate some of the boredom, but not for too long. He felt an itch to work, but alas, he promised Mokuba that he wouldn't work until Monday.

" _What am I supposed to do until Monday?" he asked himself._

" _Spend time with Mokuba, doing brotherly things," his inner self retorted._

" _I suppose. I just hate work piling up," Seto answered uneasily._

" _Hey, that's what Misty's for now. Your body is desperate for a few days from work, even though your fingers are itching to. Just enjoy your time off," his inner self commanded._

" _Fine." Seto sighed. He got a little jealous of the other patients getting visitors._

" _You're jealous?" his inner self asked._

' _Yes… at least they have people to talk to… I only have the nurses…" Seto replied._

" _Well Mokuba will be coming after school to see you, there's that," his inner self pointed out._

" _Hours from now… what am I supposed to do in the meantime? There's nothing much on TV," Seto complained. His inner self contemplated that. "That's what I thought…"_

" _Well, you can ask a nurse for some pencil and paper and draw something? You can play games on your phone?"_

" _I don't feel like it…" Seto protested._

" _Hey, I'm just offering ideas to occupy yourself with…"_

" _I know!" Seto growled and sighed._

Misty then got an elevator and walked to his room and knocked. Seto immediately looked at the door and was surprised.

"Misty? What are you doing here?" Seto asked.

"I came to visit, informally. I figured you'd want to get to know me a little, since we're going to be working closely together," Misty explained.

 _"Holy crap! It's like she's a mind reader!"_ Seto's inner self exclaimed gleefully.

 _"I'll say," Seto agreed._ "Alright," he said aloud and waved her in to sit with him. Misty entered the room and handed the coffee to him.

"I figured you'd like some coffee," she said as she sat down. Seto was surprised.

 _"And she brought you coffee too! Jackpot!"_ Seto had to admit that was a pleasant surprise. He sipped it carefully and he melted in the bliss that was coffee.

"Thank you," Seto thanked her.

"You're welcome," Misty said casually as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"What are you drinking?" Seto asked curiously.

"Hot chocolate. I don't care too much for the taste of coffee unless it has flavored creamer and sugar. I prefer hot chocolate on nippy days like this, or warm tea," she told him.

"I see," Seto replied as he continued to melt as he enjoyed his coffee. There was a quiet companionable silence as they enjoyed their beverages together.

"So, Mokuba tells me we will have to teach you how to duel," Seto began.

"Yeah?" Misty confirmed.

"Do you pick things up pretty quickly? We don't have time to waste," Seto told her curtly.

"I would say so," Misty replied.

"Good… so, I guess Wingweaver would be your favorite then?"

"I suppose," Misty shrugged. "It's simply my favorite because my brother gave me her to bring good luck. I guess if I was to have a deck, I'd want cards that work best with her," she answered.

"Alright then. So, you worked at a theme park?"

"I worked at 2 of San Antonio's main theme parks- SeaWorld, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. It was fun," Misty replied.

"Tell me more about your times working there," Seto prompted. Misty recanted some of her memories from her time she worked in the theme parks. Seto was fascinated.

"All good information," Seto answered coolly.

"I suppose. To me, they're simply fun memories," Misty replied nonchalantly.

"So, what brought you here?" Seto asked curiously. There had to be a reason she was here to swoop in and save him at the last minute.

"I always wanted to come to Japan, and with a big blessing from God, I was finally able to come. I ended up in Domino, and I really enjoyed the culture here, so I decided to stay. I just got settled in about a week ago, and then I saw your urgent ad, and here we are," Misty recanted.

"So the urgency of my ad caught your attention?" Seto clarified.

"Yes. I figured it would be easier to get hired, and I got the interview set up and did some research on what the company was about and what you were looking for, and prepared. I was surprised how young you are, and the fact that you looked quite ill. And I was shocked when your appendix burst. Honestly, I was a bit scared too. I didn't want to witness a death like that. And before I even came into the office, I felt a strange protective instinct coil like a rattlesnake inside me, and when it happened, it struck and flung me out of my chair. I had to help you," Misty explained.

"Wow," Seto remarked. "Thank you, again," he admitted reluctantly.

"You're welcome. Is it so hard for you to say thank you?" she asked, observing the reluctance in saying it.

"Yes…" Seto admitted awkwardly. "Why is that so important?" he snapped.

"Hey, I'm just curious… no need to snap at me," Misty retorted. He was a little taken aback by her sharp tone.

"If you must know, I find it uncomfortable when people do things for me…" he admitted awkwardly.

"It's not the end of the world if someone does something for you," Misty pointed out.

"I've had to rely on myself so long, it feels weird… plus then I feel like I owe that person something in return, and I HATE owing people anything… it makes me feel like they have some power over me…" he admitted.

"Oh, I see," Misty replied. "You know, sometimes favors are good. A little tit for tat greases the wheel." He looked at her with a sour look. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"So, how are you going to repay me for saving your life, staying with you, and getting you coffee?" she teased. He missed the teasing tone and had an annoyed look.

"I should've known you were going to demand something," he snarled.

"Will you RELAX? I was teasing you. I told you what happened in the office and why I came here today, remember?" Misty retorted. He pursed his lips a little.

"You're going to have to work on lightening up," Misty remarked.

"Why?"

"Because you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar," he looked at her confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Seto demanded irritably.

"You attract people and business with sweetness and friendliness rather than with a sour attitude. Besides, people who have sunnier dispositions tend to live longer," Misty explained. Seto gave her a hmph. "By the way, Mokuba told me about your past and told me that you turned cold after Gozaburo drilled it into you." Seto looked at her stunned.

"Why did he tell you that?!" He asked shocked. He wasn't sure he was comfortable with her knowing that, but then got indifferent.

"Because he cares about you and wants you to be like how you used to be, and he enlisted my help to ensure it," Misty retorted.

"Good luck," Seto challenged. There was a smile that crept on her face.

"Just watch," she replied smugly.

"You seem sure about yourself," Seto observed.

"I've been known to charm my way into people's hearts," Misty replied looking at her nails indifferently. "I've already charmed my way into Mokuba's, it's only a matter of time when I get to yours," she replied with a confident smile. "I'm already partway there, if yesterday was any evidence." Seto was being stubborn and didn't want to admit any part of it.

"Anyways, so I'm sure there are more things you want to know, hm?" Misty asked changing the subject.

"So, what is San Antonio like?" Seto asked. "Is it anything like the movies?"

"Depends on the movie. If you're referring to old westerns, oh hell no it isn't anything like that. If you've seen modern movies featuring San Antonio, sort of. San Antonio is a pretty friendly city, overall. On a scale from 1-10 on the friendliness scale, San Antonio is about 7.5. It's also a pretty historic city, it's the 7th largest city in the U.S., and continues to grow, but it also has a small town feel. We host many tourists, from all over the world. We have Market Square, The Riverwalk, SeaWorld, Six Flags, other theme parks like Morgan's Wonderland and Splashtown. We also have our 5x Champion San Antonio Spurs, and our 2 week long party, Fiesta, and Battle of Flowers Day, which is our own special holiday. In the summers it gets REALLY hot, January is pretty chilly, and sometimes the weather changes quickly. It can be warm and sunny for a while, then suddenly a front blows through or something and it gets chilly and wet, and sometimes back to a bit warm. The roads and drivers could be better, but we also have GREAT food too," Misty described.

"Sounds interesting. So, did you always want to come to Japan?"

"Yes," Misty answered matter of factly.

"Well, it's good you managed to come," he replied with a genuine tone.

"Thank you," Misty replied with a smile. Seto nodded.

"So, what kind of things do you like to do in your free time?" Seto asked awkwardly. He was not very good at regular social interactions. He had to always be…on and be cocky, but she could give it right back to him, and it was nice to have someone to talk to in order to pass the time.

"I enjoy reading, writing, arts and crafts, anime, cosplay at conventions, shopping, sometimes hunting," Misty answered.

"Hunting?" Seto asked in surprise. He was not expecting that from her.

"Yeah, when I was younger, my daddy would take me hunting. I was raised as one too. The meat was plentiful and tasty," Misty recanted fondly.

"I never met a hunter before… "Seto admitted.

"You have now," Misty corrected him.

"That's true. What do you like to read?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to go down that road of conversation with her, so he had changed the subject.

"I read a wide variety. I do like romance novels, suspenseful thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, comedies, classics, how-to books," Misty answered. Seto nodded impressed. She was pretty educated. He noticed a ring on her right hand; it was a silver class ring.

"You graduated college?" he asked.

"Yep! Twice!" Misty replied proudly as she showed her college ring.

"Nice. What was your major?" Seto asked curiously.

"English," Misty answered.

"That explains how you're such a literary enthusiast. What did you want to do with that?"

"I had wanted to be an English teacher, but it just didn't work out…" Misty replied, the smile fading from her face.

"Why not?" Seto asked curiously.

"Just didn't work out… and I had changed my mind," Misty answered. "Since then, I've been trying to find something else I enjoy," she added with a bit of heaviness in her voice.

"What do you want to do?" Seto asked curiously.

"Write and art, but I'll do that in my free-time. I work to support myself," Misty answered. Seto was curious about something. She was pretty interesting.

"If you could work anywhere, where would you work?" Seto asked.

"I'm fine where I am, working with you and Mokuba," Misty answered quickly. He searched for signs of deception on her face, but couldn't find anything. He was worried she wouldn't be happy working with them.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Even in your fantasies, that's what you want to do?"

"If we're talking fantasy, I'd be a best-selling novelist or an actor, artist, or even a costume designer, but right now I'd prefer something steady and grounded in reality. Plus, God made it pretty clear I'm supposed to be here with you, as if yesterday wasn't evidence enough. Seto squirmed a little. Misty noticed that too. "What?"

"Are you one of those crazy religious nuts?" he asked bluntly. Misty raised an eyebrow.

"No. I never think of myself as religious… I think of it as having a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus and God. I'm thankful for all that God has done for me and blessed me with, and prefer to show love and respect for others and their rights. RELIGION is when man tries to TWIST what the Bible says into an interpretation that is FORCED upon others. There is a HUGE difference. I go by God/Jesus/and the Holy Spirit is all about LOVE, ACCEPTANCE, and RESPECT for everyone. I may not agree with everyone, but I still respect them. Also, I try not to condemn others for their sins because I'm guilty of my own sins, and nobody is perfect. Additionally, I believe that God/Jesus/and the Holy Spirit want you to be happy. That is what I believe, plus I have evidence in my own life that He exists," Misty explained.

"Like what?" Seto was fascinated and curious. He still wasn't sure about all this, but was willing to listen to her, with the way she explained it.

"Yesterday. Honestly, when you were saying that demons were getting you, I was genuinely scared that you were going to die on me and that demons were really trying to drag you to hell, but a miracle happened… you got medical help just in the nick of time and you're alive. Other times, I've had so many close calls on the road with idiots, both as a pedestrian, driver and passenger, but I've managed to evade them. I'm also thankful for the friends and family in my life. And I've felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in church. That's just a little bit," Misty explained.

"Wow," Seto remarked. However, he was still not sure and not convinced. "You make some good points, but I'm still not sure nor convinced yet," he admitted to her.

"Fair enough. I'm not going to pressure you, but don't be surprised if I talk about it from time to time. You can make of it what you will," Misty replied.

"Fair enough," Seto agreed. He decided to change the subject. "So, what kind of arts and crafts do you do?"

"I do just about anything, but I especially love painting and loom knitting, and sometimes sewing," Misty replied.

"I'd love to see some of your work," Seto replied. Misty's face cracked with a wide grin.

 _"Oh, you found a good hot spot to talk about," his inner self remarked._

 _"Seems like it," Seto agreed_ and watched as she pulled up her phone and showed him some pictures of some of her work.

"Impressive," he remarked. Misty beamed.

"Thank you," Misty accepted it as a compliment. Seto had to admit she was crafty. Maybe he could figure out a way to apply her creativity somehow.

"Hey Seto," Mokuba greeted as he and Roland came through the door.

"Hey Mokuba," Seto greeted with a smile. He hadn't realized how much time passed as he talked with Misty. He wasn't complaining; she had provided many interesting insights to who he would be working with, and she wasn't so bad.

"Hey Mokuba," Misty greeted with a friendly smile.

"Misty? You're here?" Mokuba asked surprised but smiled back at her. He honestly wasn't expecting to see her until tomorrow, but it was nice that she was here.

"Yeah. I figured he would like to get to know me a little better since you and him would be working with me," Misty explained. Mokuba smiled.

"That was such a great idea!" he told her.

"Thank you," Misty replied modestly.

"So what do you think Seto?" Mokuba asked eagerly.

"She's alright. I got some valuable insight into her personality," Seto admitted. "Plus it was nice that she came to talk to me, and brought me coffee. I was so bored!"

"You brought him coffee?" Mokuba asked Misty.

"Yeah, I figured it would be a nice way to start off on the right foot, and it would make the conversation a little more casual and relaxed," Misty reasoned. Mokuba smiled. She showed a lot of promise in being the person who would help get Seto back to his old self.

"It was nice." Seto agreed. He looked to Roland. "How are things at the office?"

"Well, things are starting to build up," Roland admitted. Seto grimaced a little. Mokuba glared at him.

"No! You're not going to even think about work until Monday!" Mokuba declared to Seto. "I want you to rest!"

"Alright, alright," Seto conceded to satisfy Mokuba.

"I mean it!" Mokuba insisted. Misty and Seto were both surprised at Mokuba's intensity.

"Mokuba, please take it easy," Misty encouraged gently. Mokuba slowly calmed down.

"Sorry," Mokuba apologized and felt awkward.

"It's alright," Misty replied.

"So what all did you two talk about?" Mokuba asked. Misty gave him the short version of what they discussed. Mokuba found it interesting. While they talked, the doctor came in and gave the okay for Seto to be released once he was dressed. Seto was relieved. Misty, Mokuba, and Roland left the room and allowed him to get dressed after the nurse came in and disconnected him from his IV.

"How did you get here Misty?" Mokuba asked as they left the hospital.

"The bus," Misty answered.

"We can take you home again," Mokuba offered.

"I don't want to impose…" Misty began to protest.

"You're not imposing. I want to make sure you get home safe," Mokuba insisted.

"Alright, if you insist. Thank you," Misty thanked him and gave him a nod of thanks.

"Our pleasure, right Seto?" Mokuba nudged his brother.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure," he agreed. Misty smiled a little and then got in the limo with them. She sat between Seto and Mokuba, but had a bit of space between them. Mokuba instructed Edward to take Misty back to her apartment. Edward obeyed his instructions and started driving her back to her apartment. It wasn't long before he parked in the same spot and came around to open the door for her.

"Well thank you again," Misty thanked them and then spoke to Edward. "I really appreciate the ride home. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," Edward replied with a warm smile. It was so nice that she was so appreciative and thanked him. Yeah, it was his job, but it was always a nice feeling to be appreciated. He hoped that Mr. Icy in the backseat didn't scare her off; she seemed to have a good effect on him and Mokuba, and she was so polite. He'd ask Mokuba later if it would be ok to take her back and forth to work and home. Riding the bus wasn't so conducive for her.

"See you tomorrow Misty," Mokuba bade from the open door.

"See you tomorrow Mokuba, Mr. Kaiba," Misty bade with a warm smile before going up the stairs and unlocking her apartment and going in. Edward shut the door, and drove the Kaiba brothers and Roland back to the mansion. Edward pulled Mokuba aside.

"Mokuba, I was wondering if we could take Misty back and forth to work and home in the limo so she doesn't have to ride the bus," Edward suggested.

"Good idea!" Mokuba agreed. Edward nodded and smiled. "Your brother looks a little better than he has in a long while," he pointed out.

"He sure does. I can't wait to see how he'll look after having Misty's help in the office," Mokuba remarked.

"Indeed," Edward agreed and went to put the limo in the garage while Mokuba got the cook to start making dinner and helped Seto get settled in the meantime.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Thank you for reading ch. 3. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters.


	4. Mokuba the (Pushy) Matchmaker

The cook had finished dinner and summoned the Kaiba brothers to the dinner table.

"Thank you, Rosa," Mokuba told the cook politely. Rosa smiled and bustled about cleaning up the kitchen while they enjoyed dinner and talked about their day.

"So what do you want to do tonight?" Mokuba asked his brother. Seto shrugged.

"I've been so bored all day, with the exception of Misty coming to talk to me, so anything will be fine," Seto answered nonchalantly.

"How about we have a virtual duel? Just for fun?" Mokuba suggested.

"Sure," Seto shrugged indifferently. It didn't take long for them to finish their dinner and Rosa had cleaned up the dishes. Mokuba thanked her again and followed Seto to their game room and got set up on his side. He put on the virtual reality helmet he and Seto had created and got his deck ready to duel against Seto. They dueled for a couple hours, jibing each other playfully like brothers do, and then Seto won by a narrow margin.

"Aww man!" Mokuba exclaimed disappointed. Seto chuckled.

"When will you learn that I will always win?" Seto asked playfully. Mokuba playfully stuck his tongue out at him. Seto laughed and ruffled his hair in a playful headlock.

"Hey! Stop!" Mokuba exclaimed playfully as he tried to get Seto off.

"How about no?" Seto retorted chuckling. Mokuba chuckled as they played and then after a couple minutes, Seto let him go.

"Good to have your playful side back," Mokuba remarked. "I've missed that side."

"I know…" Seto replied with a heavy sigh.

"I don't think you do…" Mokuba protested sadly. "This is the first time in a LONG time we've been able to relax and have fun and bond…"

"…how long?" Seto asked feeling the sting of that statement.

"About a year," Mokuba answered and Seto felt another sting.

"I'm sorry Mokuba… I hadn't realized I'd been that preoccupied for that long…" Seto apologized sheepishly.

"I hope Misty cuts our workload down so we can spend more time together like this," Mokuba remarked.

"Me too, Mokuba. It was fun spending time together like we used to," Seto agreed.

"Yeah. Speaking of Misty, how about we plan out some possible decks for her so she has something to learn with," Mokuba suggested.

"Alright, sure. She said that she wanted cards that complemented Wingweaver," Seto recalled.

"Naturally," Mokuba concurred and they went through the database looking for the right cards to complement Wingweaver, balancing between attack, defense, spell, and trap cards.

"I hope she doesn't take it too hard when she can't beat me," Seto remarked cockily.

"Be nice to her," Mokuba retorted and narrowed his eyes.

"Take it easy Mokuba. You've gotten quite an attitude when it comes to her lately," Seto pointed out.

"I like her Seto! And she's going to make things easier on us and ensure I won't be on the verge of losing you again! I don't want you chasing her away with your anger and coldness, especially after the hell it took to get her!" Mokuba snapped. Seto still couldn't believe Mokuba's sudden ferocity when it came to Misty.

"Alright, Mokuba, I understand," Seto told him softly.

"Good! If she goes away, I blame you!" Mokuba retorted. Seto was taken aback and let him cool down for a few minutes.

"Feel better?" Seto asked and put his arm on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Mokuba answered calmly.

"Good. We can present the combinations we planned for her and explain them possibly tomorrow, or Monday," Seto suggested.

"Sounds good," Mokuba agreed, warming up a bit after his outburst. Mokuba then got an idea. "I have an idea!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh?" Seto asked as an eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"She's going to have to get familiar with the paperwork regarding Kaiba Land, right?" Mokuba began.

"Yeah? So?" Seto asked and rolled his wrist to encourage him to continue.

"Maybe we can have an outing at Kaiba Land so she gets familiar with it?" Mokuba suggested.

"I thought you didn't want us to work until Monday," Seto countered.

"I never said we were working," Mokuba shot back with a cool smirk.

" _He's definitely your brother," Seto's inner self remarked with a chuckle._

"So, you want to go out to Kaiba Land for fun? Is that it?" Seto asked.

"Yes," Mokuba replied in a tone that said "Duh! Isn't that obvious?"

"Alright, I suppose we can do that," Seto shrugged nonchalantly. Mokuba smiled excitedly. This was going to be so much fun! And he'd ensure that Misty and Seto spent lots of time together while they were out at Kaiba Land. He figured he could see if he could encourage a relationship between them too, then Misty could never leave. Then, Seto would truly be back to his old, happy self he had been when they were little, forever.

"Great! I'll invite her tomorrow! Which day should we go this weekend? Friday or Saturday?" Mokuba asked.

"Probably Friday… less people to deal with," Seto answered. He didn't like going out with crowds; they made him a little claustrophobic.

"Alright, fair enough," Mokuba agreed. They spent some more time together and eventually went to bed. Mokuba dreamed about the possibilities of Misty and Seto getting coupled, getting married, having children, and living "happily ever after." He was happy with this dream and wanted it to be true more than anything. His brother deserved happiness, and it was due time he got it, after such a hard life and a near death. He only hoped Misty was agreeable to this.

"Please agree to be with him…" Mokuba prayed. In the meantime, he could enjoy his fantasies and his subtle pushing until it came true.

Seto also dreamed about Misty, but it was more focused on their conversation today. He dreamed she was a puzzle he had to put together, and he only had a few pieces to use. Each piece was one aspect of her that she had mentioned today. Each time he put the piece where it belonged, he felt his happiness meter rise little by little. Once he ran out of pieces, he tried to leave, but there was a blockade preventing him from leaving.

Misty had also dreamed about the conversation she had with Seto earlier that day. In her dream, he was a bit like an annoyed cat that wanted her attention, but would sometimes nip at her when she gave him attention, like how he got a bit snappish when she was teasing him a little earlier. Misty chuckled at the funny dream.

* * *

The next day, Misty had taken the bus to Kaiba Corp. again, as instructed, wearing jeans, boots, and a cozy sweater. It was chilly and cloudy out. She sighed contently as she walked into the front doors guarded by the dragons and felt warmer. She greeted Mary and was sent upstairs to Seto's office. She got in the elevator and got off on the top floor 5 minutes later and knocked on the office doors.

Seto and Mokuba were waiting for her in the office with the new hire data HR had prepared for her, on a tablet. This was the only thing they were going to do at the office, thanks to Mokuba's insistence. Mokuba didn't even let him check the emails. Seto's fingers itched to, but Mokuba glared at him.

"Monday!" Mokuba declared. They heard the knock. "Come in," Mokuba called to the door. Misty entered and smiled at them.

"Good afternoon," she greeted.

"Hey Misty! Come on in and sit down," Mokuba greeted and invited her to sit down.

"Thanks Mokuba," Misty replied as she sat down.

"Did you want a drink?" Mokuba offered hospitably.

"Sure, maybe some water," Misty accepted. Mokuba had Roland bring her some bottled water. "Thank you Roland," Misty thanked Roland with a smile as she took it.

"The HR forms you need to fill out are here on this tablet," Seto told her as he handed her the tablet. Misty nodded and navigated through the paperwork on the tablet and put in her information. She had to admit that was a smart, convenient way to get all the paperwork done, and it was faster. When she finished, she handed the tablet back.

"Well, I'll see y'all Monday," she told them, a bit of her Texan twang slipping through as she got up to go to the bus stop.

"Hang on Misty," Mokuba stopped her.

"Yes, Mokuba?" Misty asked curiously. Did she forget something?

"First off, I set up an arrangement with Edward to take you to and from work and your apartment. You just need to call him and tell him when you're ready," Mokuba instructed and handed Edward's business card to her.

"Thank you Mokuba," Misty thanked him with a smile as she put the business card in her wallet. At least she didn't have to worry as much about catching the bus on time to get to work.

"Another thing, we wanted to invite you out to go to Kaiba Land with us on Friday, for fun, and so you can get familiar with the park," Mokuba invited.

"Okay, sure," Misty agreed. "Do you want to meet there, or somewhere? What time?" Misty asked.

"We'll pick you up about 9:00 a.m. on Friday," Mokuba answered.

"Alright sure," Misty agreed with a smile.

"Great!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly, making Misty chuckle.

"Is there anything else you need from me?" Misty asked proactively.

"Not until Monday. We can take you home now," Mokuba offered.

"Okay, sure," Misty gathered her things. Mokuba and Seto then walked with her to the private elevator and went down to the lobby, and then out to the limo.

"Hi Edward," Misty greeted with a friendly smile.

"Hello Misty," Edward greeted back reflecting her smile and opened the door for them. Once again, Misty had taken her place in between Seto and Mokuba at a reasonable space apart. Edward shut the door and then started driving Misty to her apartment.

"Oh yeah! We forgot to tell you! Seto and I planned out your duel deck last night, that way we can teach you next week. I think you're going to like it; we picked a good balance of cards to complement your Wingweaver," Mokuba announced excitedly. Misty smiled.

"Thank you. I'm sure it's a great deck," Misty assured him. "So, what can I expect on Friday? What kind of things are y'all especially excited to show me at Kaiba Land?"

"Do you like Roller Coasters?" Seto asked.

"He speaks!" Misty teased playfully. Seto looked at her confused with his eyebrow raised. "You've been pretty quiet today, except for a couple times back in the office," Misty pointed out. Seto shrugged.

"I didn't have much else to say. I let Mokuba take the reins," he explained simply. "So, back to my question…"

"Yes, I love roller coasters. They're so much fun," Misty answered. Seto smirked. "What? What's with the smirk?"

"I have a pretty intense roller coaster, based off the Blue Eyes White Dragon," he told her. "It's full of drops, twists, and loops, and goes really fast, some say it's too intense," he remarked in a cool, challenging tone.

"Oh? That sounds fun. I've ridden some pretty interesting rides before, so it shouldn't be too intense for me," Misty declared and smirked back at him.

"And you two can sit together at the front, and I'll sit right behind you," Mokuba piped up.

"Sure," Misty shrugged nonchalantly.

"In fact, I think it would be cool if you sat together on all the rides," Mokuba added.

"Oh?" Misty asked curiously. "Why's that?" Misty asked. Mokuba realized he said too much, and clammed up.

"Why would it be cool, Mokuba?" Seto asked. Misty and Seto both stared at him.

"It just would," Mokuba answered quickly and gave a nervous chuckle. Misty and Seto's eyebrows climbed in tandem on the same side of their faces. Mokuba noticed and chuckled.

"What?" they asked him simultaneously.

"Both of your eyebrows on your right sides of your faces climbed up at the same time! I've never seen that before!" he was fascinated that they responded so in sync with each other.

"They did?" Misty and Seto asked at the same time and noticed that and chuckled. "Wow!"

"But seriously, why do you want him and me to sit together on all the rides?" Misty asked.

"I'm curious to know that myself," Seto agreed.

"Mokuba?" Seto and Misty pressed, both giving him a tell the truth look. Mokuba got a kick out of that too.

"Ok! Fine! I want you two to sit together because I want you two to get to know each other more and maybe start a relationship," Mokuba confessed. Misty and Seto blinked at him.

"Mokuba, let's not get into this office romance thing… it… makes things… complicated, if they don't work out… plus, I think everyone will think Mr. Kaiba is showing me favoritism, and that's not fair," Misty pointed out gently.

"She's right Mokuba," Seto concurred.

"It's sweet of you to want that, but it's not ideal. I don't want to mess things up before I've even started," she told him gently. Mokuba felt disheartened and disappointed and a couple tears slipped from his eyes and he tried to hide them.

"I…just wanted you two…to be together… you're so good together, and you're so in sync… "Mokuba sniffled. Misty and Seto sighed. They didn't like him upset. It was a quiet remainder of the ride back to her apartment, broken only when she thanked them for the ride and then went up and unlocked the door to her apartment and went in. She was stunned; Mokuba was trying to hook them up!

" _Would that REALLY be so bad?" her inner self asked._

" _Yes!" Misty retorted._

" _Why?" her inner self demanded._

" _You heard me earlier. Office romances are complicated and I don't want people whispering accusations of nepotism about me. I just want to do my job," Misty reasoned._

" _That maybe so, but I think it's bullshit…" her inner self countered._

" _I didn't ask you what you thought…" Misty retorted._

" _So? You're going to hear it anyway. Haha! Besides, Mokuba's right. You two are so good together! And it would only be a matter of time before you shirk that declaration considering the fact you belong here with them," her inner self retorted with a Cheshire cat grin._

" _You seem so sure of yourself," Misty observed with a narrowed gaze. The Cheshire cat grin grew wider._

" _I give it a month," her inner self bet._ Misty ignored her and did a few chores.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the limo, Seto felt suffocated by the silence on the way home. He wasn't sure how to react. Mokuba stared out the window with a heavy silence.

"Mokuba did you really want to try and play matchmaker?" Seto asked. Mokuba simply stared at him. Seto pursed his lips and sighed. "Mokuba, I don't think it would work between her and me…"

"Why not?" Mokuba demanded.

"For one, all the reasons she said… it would be too complicated, and we don't want the employees revolting because they think I'm favoring her."

"Bullshit. Since when do you care what they think?" Mokuba snapped.

" _He has a point…" his inner self remarked_. Seto pursed his lips in agreement with that.

"I think you're afraid she'll reject you," Mokuba declared. "I say go for it. You two are so perfect for each other. She's good for you."

"Mokuba, even then, it would be too soon to try. Let's have her help with the workload first before we even think about that. Then after some time, we'll see, but not now," Seto countered.

"But you promise you'll at least try later?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes, LATER, I will try, but not now," Seto promised.

"Deal," Mokuba agreed. When they got home, he went to plan out the perfect day at Kaiba Land. He may not be able to do any matching with them just yet, but at least he could encourage some good fun and maybe some chemistry to start with.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Thank you for reading ch. 4. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters.


	5. A Day At Kaiba Land

On Friday…

Misty waited for Seto and Mokuba to come pick her up. While she waited, she watched the morning news and ate some breakfast. It was another chilly day, but at least the sun was poking through the clouds a little. She wore a turquoise sweater, some jeans, and her tennis shoes. She had put her hair in a low pony with some tendrils of hair wrapped around the bottom elastic of a blue jeweled headband, so it wouldn't be all over the place, especially after riding all the rides; she wanted to look halfway decent.

" _How about some perfume?" her inner self suggested._

" _Why?" Misty countered._

" _Why not?" her inner self retorted._

" _What's the point? I'm not trying to attract him," Misty retorted._

" _What's wrong with just smelling nice? Who knows, you might attract someone else at the theme park."_

" _Not likely."_

" _That's your problem; you're so negative," her inner self diagnosed. Misty rolled her eyes._

" _Actually, it'll probably because I'm going to be by Mr. Kaiba's and Mokuba's side all day. If what Mokuba said is true, they won't want to come near Mr. Kaiba," Misty reasoned._

" _Ah, I see…" her inner self realized._

" _Yeah…"_

" _Well, just wear it just because, and maybe some lipstick." Misty rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with smelling and looking nice, and womanly."_

" _Fine, if it will shut you up!" Misty shot back and spritzed on some sweet tropical, fruity perfume and applied a red lipstain. "Happy?"_

" _Yes!" her inner self crowed proudly._ She heard a knock and she locked up her apartment and turned everything off and grabbed her purse. She opened the door and saw Mokuba standing there.

"Hey Misty! You look nice!" Mokuba greeted with a smile that crinkled his grey eyes a little.

" _Is she trying to impress Seto?" Mokuba thought hopefully as he noticed her appearance. She looked bright and a bit lovely. He hoped Seto noticed and decided to break that declaration of "later" and start flirting with her now._

" _Calm down, Mokuba," his inner self told him trying to rein him in. "Don't expect flirting to commence yet. It has to happen on their terms."_

" _It could happen!" Mokuba protested. His inner self rolled his eyes and sighed._

" _By the way, she could be looking nice for the sake of being presentable," his inner self added, but was ignored._

"Hey Mokuba," Misty greeted, reflecting his smile.

"Ready for some fun?" Mokuba asked enthusiastically. Misty chuckled. He was just like an eager little puppy.

"You bet," Misty replied and locked her door. "Lead the way," she invited.

"Ladies first!" he insisted.

"Ok," Misty agreed and walked down the stairs with him trailing behind her. Edward stood at the door and smiled.

"Good morning, Misty," he greeted and opened the door.

"Good morning Edward," Misty greeted back with a friendly smile. "Thank you," she told him cordially as she got in with Mokuba right behind her. He sat down and invited her to sit down between them. Misty sat down.

"Hello Misty," Seto greeted.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," Misty greeted politely.

"You look nice," Seto replied casually.

"Thank you," Misty responded. She had to admit, he looked nice himself in his cobalt blue shirt, slacks, a black jacket, and black boots. Seto nodded. In his head, his inner self was admiring her.

" _Are you SURE you don't want to try and flirt with her?" his inner self asked._

" _Yes! I said later and that's how it's going to stay! Stop it! You're as bad as Mokuba!" Seto insisted annoyed._

" _Alright, chill," his inner self conceded._

"So, what plans do you have for us, huh Cupid?" Misty teased Mokuba. Mokuba chuckled and blushed.

"Well, we can ride the Blue Eyes coaster, and take the Blue Eyes train around the park, we can check out some shows, and ride some other rides. We might even see if we can watch a duel too," Mokuba told her.

"Sure, that sounds fun. Will you two be dueling at all today?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well, I suppose we can, but probably not at Kaiba Land. The duel arena is usually pretty busy, so we'd be waiting a while for our turn, and it would get packed if people knew we were dueling. We can probably swing by the mansion later and you can watch us there," Mokuba suggested.

"Ok sure," Misty agreed.

"While there we can show you the cards we picked," Mokuba added.

"Sounds like a plan," Misty agreed. It wasn't long before they arrived at Kaiba Land. As Edward was driving by on a road that overlooked the park, Misty looked out the window and saw the immense size of the park.

"Wow! It's so big!" she remarked. Seto and Mokuba swelled with pride.

"Is it bigger than SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas?" Seto asked. He wanted to hear her say it.

"I think so," Misty replied as she continued to stare out the window at everything. Seto smirked smugly.

"Thank you," he said proudly.

"It means a lot to hear that," Mokuba added.

"I bet," Misty agreed. Edward had driven them up in the private drop off lane reserved specially to drop Seto and Mokuba off when they made park visits. There were people watching as they came out of the limo with Misty, and immediately started whispering about them.

"Thank you Edward," Misty thanked Edward and looked at what she could take in from where she stood looking at the front gate. She saw a pair of ginormous Blue Eyes White Dragon statues standing amongst blue and white flowers behind a gate on either side of the gate turnstiles, just like at the doors at the office. Seto went to the ticket office and picked up a VIP badge for Misty to let everyone know she was there with them.

"Wow, thanks, I've never been a VIP at a theme park before," Misty remarked.

"Don't worry about it," Seto replied casually as they walked through the turnstiles. Misty grabbed a map and looked it over.

"Wow! These are some impressive features!" Misty remarked as she looked at the map and glanced at some of the buildings and rides.

"Better believe it," Seto crowed.

"Let's take the monorail so you can see everything!" Mokuba suggested excitedly and started leading them to the monorail. Misty walked at Seto's side as they followed him. Mokuba smiled widely as he noticed that they walked in sync. Seto also noticed and was glancing at her every so often to gauge her reactions. When they got to the depot, they boarded the Blue Eyes White Dragon monorail. Misty was hardly surprised; this Blue Eyes White Dragon theme for Seto was analogous to Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney. Misty sat by the window and then was joined by Seto. It looked like Mokuba wasn't going to let them get out of sitting together. She sighed softly to herself. She might as well get used to always being at Seto's side. It was going to be permanent. The monorail started going and Misty was amazed at how nice everything was, and that it was a pretty massive park.

"Isn't it cool Misty?" Mokuba asked excitedly.

"It sure is," Misty replied. It was a nice 20 minute ride. When they got off at the depot, Misty looked at Mokuba. "Alright, so where do you want to take us now, Mokuba?" Misty asked.

"Do you feel up to riding the Blue Eyes coaster?" Seto challenged.

"Alright sure," Misty replied and gave him a smirk back. Seto smirked and took her to the coaster. Misty looked at all the twists and turns and smiled. "Looks fun." Seto smirked.

"It better," he retorted. They got to the platform and of course Seto went straight to the front seats. Misty followed him and stood with him. Mokuba stood in the waiting area for the seats behind him. The Blue Eyes White Dragon train then came rattling back to the depot and the previous riders were released once the train had come to a complete stop. The gates opened and everyone started filling their respective seats. Misty put her purse in one of the lockers and took the corresponding key to that locker after locking it and put the band it was attached to around her wrist and then took her seat beside Seto and got buckled in tight with him. Eventually an attendant came by and checked the straps and when they were satisfied, they gave the thumbs up and the all clear.

"Nervous?" Seto asked Misty.

"No. I don't know why you're trying to rattle me," Misty countered.

"Just want to make sure you can handle it," Seto remarked. Misty rolled her eyes.

"They started ascending to the top and Misty looked around at the aerial view of the park, and then gravity took over and they dropped down the first steep drop Misty whooped as she was having fun, especially during the loops and twists. Seto watched her having fun and smiled. He was glad she was enjoying it. In fact she hardly seemed fazed by it.

To Misty, it was pretty similar to the Great White, her favorite, back in SeaWorld San Antonio, except this was just a regular train instead of the floorless kind with the locking shoulder harness mechanism.

The ride soon came to the rattling stop as it started to come into the depot.

"Whoo! That was fun!" Misty exclaimed.

"Good," Seto and Mokuba remarked with proud smirks. When they were released, Misty unlocked her locker and got her purse and left the key in the lock for the next person to use. She slung it over her shoulder and then rejoined Seto and Mokuba.

"I'm glad you liked it Misty," Mokuba told her.

"Yeah, it reminded me of my favorite coaster back at SeaWorld, the Great White, except this one had a regular train," Misty replied.

"Really?" they asked a little surprised.

"Yeah," Misty nodded as they walked. "Okay, where next?"

Mokuba and Seto then took her to all the best locations, particularly the castle, the theaters with the 30 minute films about Battle City and the Monster Horrors. They rode other rides, with the guarantee that Misty and Seto sat together. They ignored the whispered gossip and enjoyed themselves. They also saw the hilariously campy Kaibaman show. And finally, they watched a couple duels. Misty was watching and trying to learn a little. She figured she had the absolute basics at the very least, until they started teaching her next week.

Afterwards, Mokuba asked "So Misty, did you want any souvenirs?"

"Sure," Misty replied with a smile.

"What would you like?" Mokuba asked.

"Maybe a charm bracelet, or a necklace, and a picture," she suggested.

"Sure!" Mokuba agreed and took her to the gift shop. Misty picked out a nice necklace with a Blue Eyes White Dragon pendant. They also went back and got the picture of them on the Blue Eyes Dragon Coaster and a quick picture they took by one of the many Blue Eyes White Dragon statues; Seto gave a cool smirk in the picture while Misty and Mokuba had a big smile. Misty then tried to open the clasp to put the necklace on after they got the pictures.

"Here, I'll help," Seto declared as he took the necklace, opened the clasp, and put it on. Misty felt a bolt of electricity suddenly hit the nape of her neck when his hand grazed her skin. He felt the same surge in his fingers and pulled away quickly after the clasp was locked.

"Thank you," Misty thanked him politely.

"Don't worry about it," Seto retorted casually.

"So, Misty, do you feel ready to go? And maybe you can watch us duel?" Mokuba asked.

"Alright, sure, let's go," Misty agreed. Mokuba then called Edward to come pick them up, and they sat waiting on the bench.

"That was fun!" Misty exclaimed jubilantly. "Thanks for bringing me here," Misty thanked them.

"It was certainly our pleasure, right Seto?" Mokuba replied and nudged Seto.

"Hm? Oh, yeah it sure was," Seto agreed. Mokuba sighed a little exasperated. Truth was, Seto did have fun, he was just relaxing with them, and was simply being his usual cool self. He did have fun with Misty at his side all day, thanks to Mokuba's insistence, and he was proud that she enjoyed herself, and still had his ego stroked a little after she said his park was bigger than the other 2 parks she'd worked for. He also liked seeing a Blue Eyes around her neck better than the other dragon necklace. Sure, it was a nice touch, but his Blue Eyes was better. He was also trying to figure out why anytime they accidentally touched, they felt electric surges.

" _That, Seto, is what's called physical chemistry. Your body is responding positively to hers, and vice versa. It's a physical sign you make a great pair," his inner self explained with a huge, jubilant, Cheshire cat grin. "It also means 'waiting until later' to flirt may prove futile," his inner self added teasingly._

" _Well, too bad. I said later, and that's how it will stay," Seto declared._

" _If you say so, but I will be happy to say 'I told you so' the minute you realize I'm right and it's pointless to wait," his inner self promised. Seto scoffed at his inner self._

While Seto was conversing with his inner self, Misty and Mokuba recapped their favorite parts of the day together and then Edward had arrived. Mokuba was so happy that she enjoyed herself with them today, and she didn't object to sitting with Seto all day.

" _Calm down, Mokuba," his inner self tried to rein him in. "I know you're excited, but don't read too much into it right now," his inner self warned._

" _You're so negative! Shut up!" Mokuba snapped at him, and he sighed._

Soon, Edward had come and they got in the limo. Mokuba instructed him to take them to the mansion for now, and about 20 minutes later, they were there.

"I can't wait to show you how we duel! And maybe we can play video games too!" Mokuba gushed. Misty chuckled.

"Sure thing. Lead the way, guys," Misty instructed and followed them to the dueling room and watched. It was a pretty entertaining, very close duel. Seto and Mokuba jibed each other and Misty found it funny. Seto was distracted by her laughing, which threw him off. Mokuba used a good combination of a trap and spell cards and was able to win the duel.

"Yay! I won against Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed proudly. Seto was surprised but proud.

"Good job Mokuba," he congratulated him.

"Thanks bro. I guess Misty is my good luck charm," Mokuba replied. Seto chuckled, but felt it sting; he didn't like what Mokuba said.

" _Oooh, someone's jealous!" Seto's inner self teased._

" _Shut up!" Seto snarled. His inner self cackled thoroughly amused._ Misty simply chuckled.

"Misty! Do you want to see your deck?" Mokuba offered.

"Sure," Misty replied. Mokuba scampered off and showed her and gushingly explained the cards so she could understand. Misty paid attention.

"We'll teach you next week," Mokuba promised and took the deck back for safekeeping. "In the meantime, let's play videogames!" Mokuba exclaimed and took her to the game room. Misty indulged him and played with him, and soon Seto joined in and showed off. The way he was showing off was so amusing to Misty. Yes, it was utterly corny the way he went about it, but she couldn't help but laugh.

" _She thinks you're funny!" Seto's inner self crowed._

" _Is that a good thing?"_

" _Very! Women like guys who can make them laugh!"_

" _Okay," Seto replied shrugging mentally._ After a few hours, it was time for Misty to go home. Edward cheerfully drove her home.

"Thank you Edward," Misty thanked him out of habit.

"My pleasure, Misty. I'll see you Monday at about 7:30 a.m. to take you to work," Edward told her and left as soon as he saw her go into her apartment.

Once in her apartment, Misty locked her door and sighed as she sat down on the couch. "What a day!"

" _Tell me about it!" her inner self replied half tiredly and half jubilantly. "He's crazy about you, and you're crazy about him!" she declared._

" _Even if we are, nothing can happen yet," Misty protested._

" _You admit it! You admit you're crazy about him!" her inner self accused joyfully._

" _Okay, you caught me, but like I said, not yet," she insisted._

" _Alright, fair enough. I can't wait!" her inner self exclaimed with a delighted squeal._

" _Down girl!" Misty exclaimed. Her inner self chuckled awkwardly._

" _Let's just focus on work," Misty suggested changing the subject._

" _Ok," she agreed._

Back at the Kaiba Mansion, Mokuba was utterly pleased with the developments over the last few hours, especially how Misty laughed as they played, and how Seto reacted to her laughter.

"You've got it BAD, bro!" Mokuba accused playfully.

"Nothing's going to happen, not yet," Seto insisted.

"Keep telling yourself that, Seto," Mokuba retorted with a smirk.


	6. First Day

On Monday,

Seto took a deep breath as he got up at about 6 a.m. He was both relieved and a little anxious about working again. He also couldn't wait to start training and teaching Misty what he expected out of her, and how to duel. Yeah, it was going to be a long day, but he didn't mind; today was an investment day, which meant that the time he was going to invest teaching and training would eventually pay off in the long run. He fantasized about her magically making the mountains of paperwork disappear into the proper receptacle.

" _Is that your ONLY fantasy?" his inner self teased._

" _Right now, yes. I can't WAIT for her to cut down those paper mountains, and lift the weight of the world off my shoulders," Seto retorted. His inner self sighed disappointed. "What part of later didn't you get?"_

" _I know…" his inner self sighed._

" _I want both her and my focus to be on work right now, so back off!" Seto commanded._

" _Ok, ok. I just hope she's able to tolerate your temper at work," his inner self pointed out. Seto froze as he thought about it._

" _I'm sure she can," Seto assured him after a moment._

" _You don't sound so sure."_

" _I said I'm sure she can," Seto insisted, his icy, cobalt, eyes hardening at his inner self._

" _Ok, ok!" his inner self conceded._

" _That's what I thought," Seto smirked smugly._ He made himself a cup of coffee and sighed contently as he sipped it. Mokuba had come downstairs in his school uniform and smiled.

"Good morning Seto!" Mokuba greeted cheerfully after seeing a small smile on Seto's face. Seto was in a pretty good mood right now; he figured being able to work again after a week off contributed to part of it, and the other part was that Misty was going to be there.

"Good morning Mokuba," Seto greeted with a small smile.

"Are you excited about today?"

"A little," Seto admitted. There was a bit of lightness in his cobalt blue eyes. Mokuba smiled.

"Because of Misty?" Mokuba asked.

"Sort of," Seto admitted and got some breakfast. Mokuba grinned.

"I bet she will be amazing," Mokuba told him to his surprise; he was expecting him to tease him about flirting with Misty, but this was a pleasant surprise.

"Me too," Seto agreed.

"Just remember, BE NICE TO HER!" Mokuba reminded him sternly.

"Alright, I get it," Seto retorted.

"Good," Mokuba replied satisfied as he also got breakfast. Once they were done, they got their bags ready and got in the limo at about 7:00. Edward dropped Mokuba off at school, and right at 7:30, as promised, to Misty's apartment. He parked the limo and went upstairs and knocked.

Misty answered the door and was wearing black slacks, boots, and a purple sweater over a purple shirt, and her hair in a soft, wavy, half-pony. She was also wearing her Blue Eyes White Dragon necklace.

"Good morning Misty," Edward greeted.

"Good morning Edward," Misty greeted back as she locked up her apartment and followed him down the stairs to the limo. Edward opened the door for her.

"Thank you," Misty told him as she got in and sat down beside Seto. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," Misty greeted.

"Good morning Misty," Seto greeted in return and had a satisfied smirk when he saw her wearing the Blue Eyes White Dragon necklace. "We have a busy day ahead. Are you ready?" Seto asked in his usual cool, business tone.

"Sure am, Capítan," Misty replied with a playful salute. Seto raised his eyebrow at her a little. Misty chuckled.

"Good," Seto replied after a moment. "We'll get your badge, I'll show you how I want you to clock in, and then I will show you how I want my papers filed. Pay close attention to what the papers say. I don't want any mistakes. I will show you other tasks I expect, and then after lunch, I'll start teaching you how to duel. I have your deck in my briefcase. Work is supposed to end around 6, but I hardly ever leave that soon." Seto explained.

"Sounds good, but I will INSIST you leave on time," Misty told him.

"YOU insist on leaving on time? I'm your boss!" Seto declared. He was shocked at her audacity to insist such a thing.

" _Who does she think she is?! Insisting like that?!" he thought appalled._

"Maybe so, but Mokuba asked me to insist you leave on time, and that is one request I'm apt to grant and encourage. Work will always be there tomorrow. You don't need more than 10 hours each day. The rest of the time, you can sleep, eat, and have brother time with Mokuba. Plus, you're more productive if you can leave work and come back to it with fresh eyes the next day. My goal is to turn things around for you so you can stay alive and continue being CEO for decades to come," Misty explained.

" _She does have a point…" Seto's inner self remarked._

"Alright," Seto said aloud.

"Good," Misty replied with a satisfied nod. "Alright Capítan, start your teaching," Misty added. Seto nodded and then they proceeded to get her employee badge, he showed her how to clock in, and then started teaching her exactly how he wanted his files sorted and how he wanted his planner and schedule managed. He also told her how he wanted her to talk on the phone and gave her a cheat sheet flow chart to help her manage the calls. He asked her to do some of the tasks he showed her to ensure she understood them, and she managed them just right. He nodded pleased, particularly with the way she handled clients on the phone; she had a real knack for dealing with people in a calm, soothing manner. It was like gently applying cool, aloe-infused tea to a burn to heal it. He felt relaxed. The time flew by, and soon it was time for lunch. They ordered take out and had lunch in the break room near his office.

"So, tell me more about yourself?" Misty prompted, her chocolate brown eyes were focused on him with a spark of curiosity, after swallowing a bite of orange chicken and rice.

"Like what?" Seto asked, his eyebrow climbing over curious sapphire eyes, and swallowing teriyaki beef and rice. "Mokuba pretty much told you about us in a nutshell at the hospital, what else do you want to know?"

"What do you want out of life? What do you enjoy? What do you hate?" Misty asked.

"Well as far as what I want out of life, I want to be the best duelist in the world, the King of Games actually; running the most successful gaming company in the world; ensuring Kaiba Land's success; ensuring Mokuba is happy, healthy, and safe; and…having my own family…" Seto admitted.

"Those are good goals, but let's focus on the Mokuba part, and also keeping yourself healthy, safe, and happy," Misty suggested. "Besides, haven't you done everything else except the family part?"

"Yes, but I didn't attain King of Games yet," Seto protested. "The rest is simply maintenance, aside from the family part. Oh, and I almost forgot, I also thought about building a state of the art duel school," Seto added.

"Ok, but you can get that King of Games title later, maybe with the duelist school, but don't worry about that right now; you have to worry about getting a handle on your work first before biting off more than you can chew with another project, and risking your health further in the process," Misty told him. Seto nodded pursing his lips. He saw her point and took another couple bites.

"How about you? What do you want out of life?" Seto asked her.

"I simply want to be successful and have my own money, get something published and maybe produced, and getting married and having a family of my own," Misty answered without missing a beat. Seto raised his eyebrow at her. He liked that she also wanted a family of her own, but felt uneasy about the money part. Was she a gold-digger?

"Why is money an important part of what you want out of life?" Seto asked suspiciously. Misty picked up on his suspicion.

"Isn't it a part of what everyone wants out of life? I simply want to earn my money so I can pay off my debts, afford a car, a house, and just live life. I'm not a gold digger, if that's what you're thinking. If I was, I would've been just another 'stupid bimbo' dressing whorishly and trying to hook up with you when we first met, but that's not who I am, is it?" Misty responded. Seto relaxed.

"No, it is not," Seto conceded placated that she simply wanted to earn her money the right way. "As for what I enjoy, I enjoy spending time with Mokuba, dueling, playing chess, going to Kaiba Land with Mokuba, seeing orphaned children happy at Kaiba Land, and reading. As for what I dislike, I cannot stand Yugi Mutou and his loser friends. They always talk about the heart of the cards crap, and go on and on about destiny and such, and that weasel always finds a way to cheat his way into winning against me. I have him where I want him, and he cheats somehow!"

"Whoa, Mr. Kaiba, take it easy," Misty told him as she put her hand over his. The spark lit up again and soon Seto relaxed.

"As for what else I dislike, I can't stand dishonesty, theft, owing people for favors, and being used, and people who try to harm Mokuba," Seto added. Misty smiled.

"You know what's funny? We share a few common interests and dislikes. I told you a bunch of my interests at the hospital, and I can't stand liars, users, thieves, people harming my friends or family, and I don't really like owing people favors either," Misty told him. Seto gave her a cool smirk.

"That's good," Seto replied. He liked knowing they had more in common. Misty nodded and they continued eating until their lunch break was over. They clocked back in and Seto led her to the duel arena in the building.

"Pay close attention," Seto instructed sternly.

"Yes sir," Misty replied. Seto felt a strange feeling when she said that; it felt good. He handed the deck to her and started instructing her. Misty paid close attention as he taught her and also tried to apply what she learned watching the other duelists on Friday. Seto was impressed with her ability to quickly pick up what he was teaching her. Of course, she lost; however, she was determined to win. Seto had to admire her spirit, especially as he saw fire in her chocolate brown eyes.

" _I think you've created a monster," his inner self told him with an amused chuckle._

" _She won't beat me," Seto assured his inner self cockily._

" _She's probably going to continuously challenge you until she does," his inner self warned._

" _She can challenge me all she wants, she's not going to win," Seto assured his inner self._

" _Just wait, she will, and I will laugh when she does," his inner self declared._ They dueled again and again, and Misty was getting frustrated, but she wasn't going to give up. Sure, she could take breaks, but she was going to keep challenging him until she won. They hadn't noticed that Mokuba had come in and was watching with rapt attention, until he started cheering.

"Go Misty!" Mokuba cheered. They glanced at him and she waved at him and then resumed her focus on the duel they were on.

" _Traitor," Seto thought teasingly._

" _Aww, someone's jealous," his inner self teased._

" _Am not!" Seto countered. His inner self guffawed at him._ A little while later, Misty lost again. Her face fell in a stony expression.

"Dammit…" she muttered to herself. Seto snickered to himself.

"I'll get you," Misty declared. "One day my pretty, I'll get you," she added mimicking the Wicked Witch of the West and gave a witchy cackle. Seto and Mokuba were surprised at first, but chuckled a little awkwardly.

"Aww, come on guys, it was a half joke," Misty told them trying to get them to lighten up. They chuckled just a little more. "But I am serious, I will get you and beat you," she vowed.

"Good luck with that!" Seto taunted. "Let's take a break for a few minutes, and do regular tasks in the office," he declared and started walking back to the elevator. Misty and Mokuba followed.

"So, how was school Mokuba?" Misty asked genially and gave him a warm smile.

"It was ok. Nothing special. How was your first day so far?"

"It's pretty good. I'm just getting the hang of things the way your brother wants, and learning how to duel," Misty answered modestly.

"That's good. I'm glad the workload and my brother's temper haven't scared you off."

"Nah, it's all good," Misty replied nonchalantly with a thumbs up. Mokuba chuckled. He then whispered in her ear, "did you insist on leaving on time?" Misty nodded.

"At first, he was shocked by it, but I told him that you wanted it and that is a request I am happy to grant and encourage, and it shut him up," Misty whispered back.

"Good," Mokuba whispered pleased. Misty gave an agreeing nod.

"What are you two whispering about?" Seto demanded curiously.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Nosy Capítan," Misty retorted with an impish smirk. Mokuba chuckled and Seto gave an annoyed scowl. They got to the top floor and soon got off the elevator. Seto gave Misty some instructions and Misty got to work handling his requests. Seto was monitoring how she was handling his requests and was utterly pleased that she was cutting down some of his work. His office felt less suffocating. Sure, they had a lot more work to do, but they could get to it later.

" _Wow, she's even convinced you to think about coming back to it later!" his inner self exclaimed astonished._

" _Well, she did have some good points," he conceded. His inner self squealed in glee._

" _Mokuba is going to be so happy with this!" his inner self exclaimed jubilantly._

" _Yeah, I suppose he will," Seto admitted._ Seto got to work on some of his own work he had to do while he left Misty to do her thing, feeling confident that she would do everything right. While they were working, Mokuba decided to work on some homework. There was a quiet synergy in the room as the three of them were hard at work. Mokuba then seemed to have a little trouble on his homework. Misty got a call and answered the phone, and according to the flow chart cheat sheet, and the list of people Seto would talk to, she routed the call to Seto's desk and watched as he answered and started talking. Misty then walked over to Mokuba.

"Need some help, Mokuba?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda stuck on this English prompt," Mokuba explained and showed her what he was looking for.

"Well you're in luck kiddo, English is one of my fortes," Misty declared proudly and then they talked about the work that he was reading, William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew". Misty was so animated when she talked about it, and Mokuba was impressed with what she knew.

"You know so much about it," Mokuba marveled impressed.

"It's one of my favorite plays," Misty replied with a smile.

"Which of Shakespeare's other plays do you love?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"Well, I do love" Romeo and Juliet," since I was in elementary school and I saw the movie and read an adaptation kids could understand," Misty began.

"Wow! You loved Romeo and Juliet since Elementary school?!" Mokuba interrupted astonished.

"Yep! When we were studying it in high school, I was THE class expert on it."

"Wow! Sorry for interrupting. Please tell me more of Shakespeare's plays you enjoyed," Mokuba prompted. He was listening with eager fervor.

"I enjoyed "As You Like It," "Hamlet," "Othello," "Twelfth Night," mostly." Misty told him.

"Wow, cool!" Mokuba gushed and they talked more until they were done with his homework. Seto had been watching them after his call. He didn't want to interrupt the flow of their conversation about Mokuba's homework, and had to admit he was impressed with how she helped him. She had quite the maternal side.

"All done with your homework, Mokuba?" Seto asked. Mokuba and Misty both looked at him.

"Yeah Seto," Mokuba replied.

"Good. Misty, that was impressive, but can you please get back to work on what I asked you to do?" Seto requested politely. He would've been more annoyed, but she was helping Mokuba, so he let it slide.

"Sure, Mr. Kaiba," she agreed and went back to doing her work. Then it was 6:00. "Mr. Kaiba? It's 6:00. I think it's time to leave our work for today and go home," Misty told him. Mokuba watched to see if his brother would.

"Alright," Seto agreed as he got up from his chair and stretched. Misty and Mokuba also stretched, and Mokuba gave Misty a covert high five as a thank you for getting him to go on time. They walked down to the limo and Misty sat in between them, as usual, after giving her usual greeting to Edward. Misty and Mokuba chattered animatedly while Seto watched and listened, thoroughly amused. When they pulled up to her apartment Misty was helped out of the limo by Edward once again.

"Thank you Edward. See y'all tomorrow!" Misty bade with a friendly wave as she made her way up to her apartment, unlocked the door, and went in.

" _Not a bad first day," her inner self remarked._

" _Nope," Misty agreed and started to work on supper, a quick pasta dish with chicken._

" _Mr. Kaiba seems really impressed with you, and he's not as bad as everyone makes him out to be,"_

" _I suppose," Misty agreed and smiled. Her inner self smiled with her._

" _So?" her inner self asked._

" _So what?"_

" _So, he would be a really good match. So why aren't you flirting?" her inner self goaded._

" _Will you shut up?" Misty snapped. She didn't deny he probably would be a good match for her, but she was tired of her inner self not shutting up about the flirting part. "I KNOW you want me to flirt with him and make him my man, but I just got started and I don't want to lose my job! Enough about the flirting! Maybe further down the line, but not NOW! Shut up!" Misty snapped._

"… _Sorry," her inner self apologized sheepishly._

" _Good!" Misty retorted and finished making dinner and started to eat and reflect about her day while the TV provided white, background noise._

* * *

Back at the Kaiba Mansion, Mokuba and Seto were also enjoying their dinner.

"You look so much better Seto," Mokuba pointed out.

"I do?" Seto asked surprised. "How so?"

"You look like you have had a weight lifted off your shoulders. You seem more relaxed," Mokuba observed.

"Thanks," Seto replied.

"Misty's a good influence on you. I'm so glad she found us!" Mokuba gushed.

"Me too," Seto agreed.

"You know, one day, she will beat you," Mokuba teased, his grey eyes crinkling under a Cheshire cat grin.

"I doubt that," Seto retorted with a playful smirk.

"Don't be so sure. I saw that determination in her eyes," Mokuba pointed out.

"We'll see, but I still doubt it," Seto insisted then changed the topic. "Looks like you and her were having a good time doing your homework."

"Yeah! She helped make it easy and fun! I like her helping with my English homework!" Mokuba gushed.

"I bet," Seto agreed. Mokuba had another Cheshire cat grin. "What? What's with the grin?"

"You liked watching her. I bet it excited you watching her," Mokuba teased.

"I was simply impressed by her knowledge and her maternal side," Seto replied coolly.

"She would make a great mom, and sister-in-law," Mokuba told him and nudged him on the last part.

"We agreed later," Seto protested, giving him an annoyed scowl.

"Ok," Mokuba agreed and backed off a bit. "I bet tomorrow she'll be better now that she has the swing of things," he predicted.

"Yeah, she probably will," Seto agreed and smiled a little as he thought about her working hard and cutting down some of the work.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Thank you for reading ch. 6. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters. I don't think y'all want to miss the upcoming chapters because things are about to crescendo (which means things will get interesting).

If you are interested in checking out which new chapters I have completed and are on embargo (hold), please check my profile.


	7. Sweet Beats

**A/N:** Thanks to james. collins .77770 and his reviews, here is ch. 7! Yay!

 **WARNING:** This chapter contains a moment where Wheeler gets his ass beaten.

And as always, don't forget to review!

Enjoy ch. 7!

* * *

Four Weeks Later…

Everything had been running smoothly at the office. Seto did have some irritable outbursts in front of Misty when he got stressed out, especially about meetings, but it was nothing she couldn't smooth over. The paper mountains on his desk had been scaled down about 70%, Seto was becoming more relaxed, and Mokuba was happier, doing better on his schoolwork, and sincerely enjoying Shakespeare more since Misty would help him for a bit after daily dueling practices. She was hell-bent on beating Seto. With each practice, she got better and more confident, and she got closer and closer, but still had yet to beat him. She also occasionally practiced with Mokuba and they each had wins and losses over the other. In addition, for some variety, Seto also had her dueling the duel computer, and she would win those. Seto was impressed that she seemed to get better and stronger each day.

" _She's getting close," Seto's inner self observed._

" _Close doesn't matter. She still hasn't beaten me yet," Seto retorted with a smirk._

" _Alright, but don't be surprised when she does," his inner self countered._

" _Why would I be? I'm not the kind of person who gets surprised that easily," Seto stubbornly replied._

" _If you say so," his inner self replied with a nonchalant shrug._

"Do you want to try dueling me again?" Seto challenged Misty after she beat the computer.

"Sure," Misty agreed and readied her deck and focused her fierce chocolate eyes on him. Seto had his icy, cobalt eyes fiercely focused on her and smirked. "Ready for another loss?" he taunted.

"This time, I won't lose," Misty declared with a defiant smirk.

"You said that last time, and all the other times before that too," he reminded her. "This time, I want you to mean it!"

"I do mean it!" Misty shot back. "Enough talk, let's duel!"

"Indeed," Seto agreed. The duel was incredible and intense as they traded tricky moves. Seto was impressed by her honed tricky skills. She dueled like she could've competed well in tournaments. It was neck and neck, and then she finally pulled a winning combination and won.

"I WON!" Misty exclaimed incredulously. Seto was stunned; she ACTUALLY won! His inner self guffawed that she actually won.

" _I told you not to be surprised! I told you she was going to finally beat you!" his inner self crowed proudly._ Once Seto recovered, he smirked and clapped for her.

"Not bad," Seto conceded.

"Not bad? That's all you have to say?" Misty replied.

"Congratulations, you did it. Is that satisfactory?" Seto retorted teasingly.

"Thank you," Misty beamed proudly. Seto nodded with a smirk.

"This calls for a celebration!" Misty exclaimed proudly.

"What do you have in mind?" Seto asked curiously.

"Well, how about we take a break and go to the coffee shop and get something?" Misty suggested.

"You buying?" Seto asked teasingly.

"Sure, ok," Misty said with a shrug. Seto was surprised.

"Nah, it's ok, I'll get it," he announced. It felt weird to let a woman buy him a drink if he was there with her, and he supposed he could reward her with something small for finally doing what only a handful of people could do- besting him in a duel.

"Okay, if you want to," Misty replied. She frankly didn't care who got the drinks, but it was nice to be treated. They got in the elevator and went to the ground floor and Edward drove them to Seto's favorite coffee shop. Once they got out, Misty thanked Edward, as usual, and walked inside with Seto. Seto sighed contently smelling the aroma of the different coffee smells. Misty noticed they had a valentine themed- menu. She forgot that this was valentine week.

" _Aww crap… I forgot to get a boyfriend again," Misty thought, paraphrasing Phillip J. Fry from Futurama._ She should probably buy a few valentine cards to give to Edward, Roland, Foguta, and of course Seto and Mokuba.

" _You know, your valentine is right next to you," her inner self teased nudging her. As she thought about valentine cards, she realized it might be awkward if she picked a mushy card for him, so she figured she might get some general valentine cards. That should work. Her inner self rolled her eyes._

" _Why don't you get him a flirty card, as a joke?" her inner self suggested._

" _No, because what if he takes it wrong?" Misty reasoned. Her inner self pursed her lips._

" _You're no fun…"_

" _Yeah, I know, I'm BORING," Misty retorted flippantly._

" _Yes you are," her inner self agreed. "Are you going to get him something?"_

" _I might get him some good coffee beans for his coffeemaker, and maybe some sweet creamer," Misty suggested._

" _That's a good idea," her inner self replied with a slight nod. "What about Mokuba?"_

" _Maybe some candy," Misty suggested._

" _Yeah, that's perfect. You know, you could also make valentines with your Cricut machine," her inner self suggested._

" _That's a thought. I'll have to think about it," Misty agreed._

" _Fair enough," her inner self replied._ Seto also noticed the valentine stuff and he felt uncomfortable.

" _What's wrong?" his inner self asked._

" _All the valentine stuff…" Seto answered._

" _So?"_

" _All the couples are so nauseating… and I don't have anyone to spend Valentine's Day with."_

" _Bullshit… she's right next to you," his inner self retorted. Seto was still unsure. "Valentine's Day would be perfect to ask her. You could get her a card and something nice and meaningful," his inner self goaded._

" _I'll think about it…" Seto replied._

" _You've got a few days," his inner self encouraged._

"So, what will you have?" Seto asked Misty. Misty put a finger to her lips in thought as she looked at the valentine-themed menu.

"That raspberry chocolate truffle iced latte sounds good," Misty told him.

"Alright," Seto replied and soon it was their time to order.

"Give me a large white chocolate mocha and a large raspberry chocolate truffle iced latte," Seto ordered. The barista nodded and told him the total and he paid for them. When she asked for names, he told her Kaiba and Misty told her Misty. They waited for the drinks off to the side and when the drinks were ready, Misty went to the napkin bar with the sugar packets and the chocolate powder and added more chocolate powder to her drink. Seto stared at her curiously with an eyebrow raised.

"You already have chocolate in there, and you're adding MORE chocolate?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't judge me. One can never have too much chocolate," Misty retorted and put the powder down when she was satisfied and mixed it in with her straw. "Thank you, by the way." She told him with a smile.

"You're welcome. I swear, you and Mokuba are quite alike. He LOVES chocolate too," Seto observed.

"I gathered," Misty replied with another smile. She noticed Mokuba did enjoy his chocolate, as study snacks. Seto nodded. They left the coffee shop and were walking back to the limo sipping on their drinks when lo and behold an unwelcome group of people showed up.

"Hey Kaiba!" the short young man with blond, purple, and red SPIKED hair; violet eyes ; jeans; black shirt; a blue jacket; black pointed short boots greeted Seto. Seto immediately tensed up.

"'Ey Kaiba," the tall blond young man with jeans and a white shirt with blue sleeves and blue stripes on his shirt greeted in a thick Brooklyn accent. He had a blonde woman with wavy hair; violet eyes, heavy makeup; a short purple skirt; a corset tank barely covering cleavage; and a purple vest on his arm. They were both wearing wedding rings.

"Hey Kaiba," the other members of their group greeted. Seto looked more tensed up. Misty looked at the other people in the group. She noticed there was a tall brunet man with a shark-fin pompadour, jeans, and a white shirt with brown jacket, and tennis shoes; a shy, timid woman with ginger colored hair, brown eyes, and a pink dress; and a brunette skinny woman with blue eyes, a yellow sleeveless shirt, a red skirt, and red, heeled sandals. Seto grumbled and had a narrowed, hard gaze at them.

"Yugi, Wheeler, Mai, Tristan, other Wheeler, Tea…" Seto greeted back icily.

"Having a nice day Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

"It was nice, before you losers came along," Seto snapped.

"Geez Kaiba, you still haven't changed… you're still da biggest jerk around," Joey Wheeler retorted, then noticed Misty standing beside Kaiba. He looked her over from her long, wavy brown hair; her wild chocolate eyes; her turquoise sweater; Blue Eyes White Dragon necklace; dark denim, curvy fit, boot cut jeans; and her brown and turquoise cowboy boots with the square toes. His wife, Mai, nudged him for staring at her like that.

"Who's dis? Your whore?" the rest of the group gasped in shock and horror.

"Joey! What is the matter with you?!" the group exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry about my friend!" Yugi apologized to Misty.

"No, I don't accept your apology," Misty retorted and glared at Joey. "I want it from HIM!" She demanded as she stabbed a finger in Joey's direction. Her face started to take on demonic features that she was apt to get when she was angry, and her chocolate brown eyes burned with a vicious, raging fire. The group gasped and started backing down. "You better watch who you call a whore, you ignorant Yankee loser!" Misty snarled, and her voice took on a scary undertone.

"Los-ah? I ain't no los-ah!" Joey snarled.

"Oh yes you are!" Misty shot back in a demon voice and thrust her iced latte into Seto's hand, along with her purse.

"Why are you handing me your drink and purse?" Seto asked surprised. He wasn't expecting to become a coatrack to Misty right now.

"Because I'm about to beat the shit out of this fucking moron!" Misty snarled. Now THAT was something Seto was eager to see.

" _Holy shit! Is she about to do what I think she is?!" Seto's inner self exclaimed shocked_ , in tandem with Tristan saying it aloud.

"I think she is!" Yugi observed horrified.

"Joey! Apologize to her!" Tea and Mai commanded him. They didn't want to see him get his ass beaten.

"No!" Joey stubbornly refused.

"Don't be an idiot, hon!" Mai begged. Misty had a crazy, Joker-esque laugh.

"Too late for that!" Misty told them maniacally and faced him. "And it's a mistake that will cost him dearly. "How DARE you disrespect me and my boss!" Misty snarled and slapped him HARD across the jaw with a thunderous clap. "Do you insult any new women you meet like that, or am I just special?" Misty added with venomous sarcasm and slapped the other side of his jaw with the same brute force.

"Nobody…in der right mind…would…evah be seen…wid dat Jerk!" Joey retorted.

"You don't know when to shut the fuck up don't you?!" Misty growled and then introduced her boot to his balls and then his stomach with a solid kick. She then gripped his hair and slammed his face into her thigh.

"You're…as much…of a jerk…as he is! You…two belong tahgether." Misty growled with mad exasperation and started punching his face repeatedly, especially in the mouth.

"Had enough?!" Misty snarled as she stood over him. Joey was battered and bruised and groaning in pain and coughing and spitting up blood. Misty then crouched down and gripped his hair hard and whispered in his ear.

"Listen here you trashy yapping mutt, if you ever disrespect me, Mr. Kaiba, or even Mokuba like that EVER again, I will make sure that the punishment will be MUCH worse than what I just gave you right now. I will be your worst nightmare. Do you understand me?" Misty hissed in a demon voice in his ear. Joey nodded.

"Good! Now we demand an apology for your disrespectful insults!" Misty demanded still gripping his hair tight and started to twist it painfully.

"I'm sorry!" Joey yelped.

"Apology accepted, "Misty told him and looked to Seto. "Mr. Kaiba? Do you accept his apology?" Seto's icy, cobalt eyes were wide with shock and he nodded. Misty let go of Joey's hair roughly and then Yugi and his friends immediately rushed over to help their battered friend.

"Listen here WELL," Misty hissed at them. "If it happens again from ANY of y'all, especially him, I will NOT hesitate to give y'all the same treatment!" Misty warned in her demon voice. "Learn to control that yapping mutt. Mr. Kaiba, let's go," she said as she spun on her heel and gently got her purse and drink from her stunned boss and started walking back to the limo. Seto soon caught up with her once he snapped out of his stunned trance.

"Did…that… really just happen?" he asked her.

"You better believe it did," Misty replied and sipped her latte.

"That was…that was…incredible!" Seto remarked awestruck. "I've always wanted to do that, but he was more annoying than anything, and didn't really have reason to kick his ass like that!" Seto babbled incredulously.

"Serves him right for disrespecting us," Misty replied nonchalantly.

"Indeed… I honestly wasn't expecting you to turn into a…vicious demon like that," Seto admitted. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Alright," Misty replied and nodded curtly. She gave Edward a friendly smile as he opened the door for them.

"Thank you Edward," Misty told him with a nod as she got in and got settled. Seto immediately settled in beside her and was a little closer than usual. Misty noticed, but said nothing, even though they could feel the sparks of the electricity between them.

"By the way…thank you... for standing up for me," Seto told her slightly awkwardly. Misty smiled at him.

"You're welcome," she replied and continued to sip on her latte. He sipped on his white chocolate mocha in a companionable silence for a bit, until he broke the silence.

"You know, if you had gotten arrested for beating him, I would've bailed you out and gotten your record clean," he told her. Misty's chocolate eyes widened in surprised.

"Really?"

"Yes," Seto replied genuinely. "He had no right to say that about you, and infer that the only people who would be willing to hang around me are…whores," he said uncomfortably. "The beating was justified albeit, scary."

"Thank you, Mr. Kaiba," Misty replied with a smile.

" _Aww, he would've come to rescue you from the police!" her inner self squealed happily._

"You're welcome. Let's go finish our work for the day," he said changing the subject. They got back to Kaiba Corp. and Misty thanked Edward again and walked at Seto's side in sync, and they went back to his office in his private elevator.

" _You should ask her out," his inner self encouraged._

" _Maybe this weekend…" Seto replied._

" _On Valentine's Day?!" his inner self exclaimed excitedly._

" _Yeah, I suppose," Seto replied. His inner self was utterly jubilant._

" _It's about damn time! What do you have in mind?"_

" _Maybe Valentine festivities at Kaiba Land? Or dinner and maybe a movie?" Seto suggested._

" _Classic! Ooh! You could do a one of those painting and wine classes too!" his inner self suggested excitedly._

" _That could work. I think she'd like that," Seto agreed._

" _Great! A dinner and painting class!" his inner self exclaimed._ When they got to the office, Seto gave her some instructions for things he wanted done in the meantime until 6:00. Misty nodded and got to work on the tasks, turning on some '50s and '60s music on to work with. It energized her and she worked efficiently. A little while later, Mokuba had come.

"Hey Misty! Hey Seto!" Mokuba greeted and hugged Misty.

"Hey kiddo!" Misty greeted as she hugged him.

"Hey Mokuba," Seto greeted with a smile.

"So, how'd you do today?" Mokuba asked. Misty grinned.

"I finally did it! I finally beat your brother!" Misty beamed.

"Wow! Yay Misty!" Mokuba congratulated her proudly.

"Thanks kiddo," Misty replied and ruffled his black hair.

"Tell him what else happened," Seto prompted.

"What? What else happened?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"Well, Mr. Kaiba and I then went to celebrate and get a drink from the coffee shop. On the way out, we ran into a group of acquaintances of his, Yugi and his friends. Joey disrespected me and Seto by asking him 'Who's this? Your whore?'. After that, I got viciously angry, and demanded an apology. He continued to be an idiot, so I kicked his ass," Misty recanted, giving him the nutshell version.

"Seriously?! He said that to you and Seto?!" Mokuba remarked stunned.

"Clear as crystal. I was not about to tolerate that disrespect," Misty replied.

"I wouldn't either. I bet he'll regret that," Mokuba predicted.

"No doubt. That yapping mutt messed with a rattlesnake and got bit in the process," Misty told him. Mokuba chuckled at her metaphor. Misty smiled.

"How was school?" Misty asked.

"It was alright. We're doing The Canterbury Tales in English this time. We're sorta recreating it and writing our own stories that entertainingly tell a moral and having a contest to who tells the best story while we have snacks in our groups, and the best story in class gets a free 100 for any assignment or quiz," Mokuba explained.

"Oh I did that when I was a senior in high school. That was fun," Misty told him and had a fond smile.

"Oh really? What was your story about?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"I wrote a story where my dad won the lotto and because we were rich, people came out of the woodwork to get close to the money, and then I got kidnapped by bad people who wanted a ransom. I won the group round, but not the class round," Misty recanted.

"What was the lesson?"

"Be careful of people wanting to use you for wealth," Misty answered.

"Yeah, we can really relate to that," Mokuba said soberly.

"I bet. Let me tell you a funny joke to get your mind off that thought. There was a group of kids about 7 years old, and a teacher gave them the assignment of writing a story with a moral, almost similar to what you have to do. One kid told a story about the moral of not counting chickens before they're hatched. Another told one about letting a sleeping dog lie, and so on and so forth. One kid told a story about how his mother, who was a soldier in the war in Afghanistan parachuting down to the ground from a plane, and saw 20 terrorists. On her, she had a glass container of whiskey. She didn't want to lose the whiskey, so she drank it on the way down. She got down and shot 12, stabbed 4, and then used hand to hand combat to defeat the other 4. The teacher was shocked and appalled. 'What was the moral?' she asked the boy. 'Don't mess with mommy when she drinks,' the boy answered without missing a beat. The teacher almost fainted," Misty told him. Seto and Mokuba both laughed.

"That's crazy!" Mokuba exclaimed while laughing. "Where did you hear that?"

"I got it off tickld," Misty told him. Mokuba chuckled. "So, what is your moral going to be?"

"I'm not sure yet," Mokuba admitted.

"It'll come to you," Misty encouraged.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed.

"I'll help you in a moment," Misty assured him and finished her tasks and then helped him with his homework and helped him come up with a story by telling some of her own as inspiration. Mokuba was fascinated by all the stories she told, and so was Seto. Seto found some amusing, and some shocking. Mokuba decided on a theme- Paying attention is the best thing you can pay for. Misty gave him permission to use a medley of her stories about when she was almost badly hurt or possibly killed because others weren't paying attention, most notably when she was riding her bike home from school when she was 12, and a man wasn't paying attention and he hit her when she was halfway across the street, but at least he stopped. If she hadn't been wearing her helmet, she could've been killed because there was a dent the size of a half-dollar in her helmet, above her temple. There was another story where she was a pedestrian crossing the street at a designated bus stop, with a stop sign, with other employees when she worked at Six Flags, and she almost got ran over by an idiot man with his family in a van because he failed to stop at the stop sign and just kept going. There was another story where an idiot almost ran into her while she was driving to work because said idiot was texting while driving.

"You have a penchant for nearly being in dire situations," Seto observed.

"Yeah… all because idiots can't be bothered to pay attention. I at least do my best to stay sharp," Misty retorted.

"This is great material! Thanks Misty!" Mokuba told her with a hug.

"My pleasure, kiddo. I hope you win," Misty replied as she ruffled his raven hair.

"Me too. I'm also glad you're ok," Mokuba said sincerely and hugged her tighter.

"Me too," Misty agreed.

"Me three," Seto piped up. Misty invited him over to join the hug, and he obliged. They parted after a few minutes and Misty helped Mokuba finish his homework and got back to work on her tasks. At 6:00 precisely, they stopped work for the day, and they took Misty home.

After Misty had thanked Edward and got in her apartment, her inner self couldn't wait to talk to her.

" _Today was awesome! You beat Seto at Duel Monsters finally, he got you a drink, he was amazed by your kicking that Joey Wheeler's ass, he sat closer to you in the limo, and he was fascinated by your stories, and a bit concerned too!" her inner self babbled and gushed. "Please tell me you're ready to date him!" she begged._

" _Well, if he asks, I probably won't say no at this point," Misty admitted._

" _Are you serious?!" her inner self shrieked in ecstatic joy._

" _Yes, I guess I don't see the harm at this point. I also think everyone assumes we're a couple anyway, and I guess it could be fun," Misty replied nonchalantly._

" _Finally!" her inner self gushed jubilantly and was practically dancing._

" _Easy, girl," Misty told her trying to rein her in. Her inner self chuckled sheepishly._

" _Sorry, I'm just so excited."_

" _I gathered," Misty retorted._

" _When are you hoping he asks?" her inner self asked with a huge grin._

" _Well, it would be nice to have a valentine," Misty admitted._

" _Yeah! I hope he asks you out for Valentine's Day! You two are so perfect!"_

" _I know," Misty retorted and relaxed with dinner, TV, and did some drawings._ Her hand had a mind of its own and had an alliance with her brain to draw pictures of her, Seto, and Mokuba together. She sighed. They were sweet pictures, she couldn't deny that. She dropped the pencil and eraser in surrender.

"Alright…" she conceded softly. When she said that, she gasped as there was a wave of relief and joy that washed over her like a tidal wave, making her shudder. It felt sorta nice.

* * *

Meanwhile, over dinner back at the mansion, Seto decided to tell Mokuba his plan.

"Mokuba?" Seto began.

"Yes Seto?" Mokuba asked curiously with his head tilted.

"I've decided… I think I want to ask her out…" Seto announced. A Cheshire cat grin slowly cracked and split Mokuba's face and crinkled his grey eyes.

"Seriously?!" he asked excitedly, his grey eyes glittering excitedly. Seto nodded.

"It's about damn time!" Mokuba exclaimed. Seto gave him a bit of a scowl. "I'm just so excited for you Seto! What finally made you decide?" Mokuba asked eagerly, his attention rapt on his brother.

"Well, I noticed she wears the Blue Eyes White Dragon pendant all the time; I like her determination to have kept on dueling me to beat me; all the valentine decorations at the coffee shop and thought it would be nice to have a valentine for once; after she defended herself and me from Wheeler with that ass-kicking; the chemistry is getting stronger; and I found myself concerned about how she almost wasn't here because of idiots not paying attention, I decided I was ready to ask," Seto explained.

"What do you have in mind? When are you going to ask her?" Mokuba asked excitedly.

"I was thinking of asking her on Friday, and for the date, I was thinking dinner and a painting and wine class, for Saturday, Valentine's Day," Seto answered.

"She'll love it!" Mokuba declared and couldn't contain his joy. "I want a full report on Saturday!" he demanded excitedly.

"Oh, I'll tell you all about it," Seto promised. Mokuba squealed a little in delight and was trying to help Seto get prepared for Friday, and made his own plans for Saturday so they could have couple time.

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you for reading ch. 7. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters. There is more fun to be had and the action is rising.

If you are interested in checking out which new chapters I have completed and are on embargo (hold), please check my profile.


	8. Kindled

**A/N:** once again, thank james. collins. 77770 for the release of this chapter. See? I told y'all new chapters are released when I have new reviews. Keep them coming. Enjoy.

P.S.- This chapter is a little fluffy and shows a more human, kinder side of Seto, and a sweet side of Mokuba.

* * *

Thursday Night, February 12th…

Misty noticed that Seto was acting strange around her the last couple days, like he wanted to ask her something, but couldn't find the words, especially if she asked what was wrong; he'd somehow change the subject to something else. They had practiced duels and traded wins and losses just like how she did with Mokuba. She shrugged it off and focused on her work and helping Mokuba. She found out that Mokuba had won the group round of his Canterbury Tales moral story contest, and was presenting it to the class tomorrow. She wished him good luck and hoped he won. She had finished work with them tonight and noticed how quiet Seto was and wondered what was going on in his head. She kept trying to figure it out all evening.

" _Aww! He's nervous around you!" her inner self exclaimed._

" _Why is he nervous?" Misty asked perplexed._

" _I think he wants to ask you out!" her inner self offered excitedly._

" _Maybe…" Misty thought and went to bed after getting an outfit ready for work tomorrow and watched a movie to relax with._ She fell asleep as soon as it was done. In the next apartment, her neighbor had left a scented candle on. The smell of cherry vanilla wafted through the apartment, to the hallway, and the other nearby apartments. The neighbor's cell phone vibrated against the nightstand on which the candle was standing, against the adjoining wall to Misty's apartment. The vibration tipped the candle over, spilling the wax and flame. Soon, the nightstand had caught fire, and the carpet, and everything that it touched. Soon, it had engulfed the wall and had started to burn into Misty's apartment. Misty smelled smoke in her sleep and thought it was strange. She was then jolted awake hearing the smoke alarm SCREECHING loudly at her. She saw smoke in her room and it felt suffocating. She coughed but held her breath. She quickly grabbed a big tote bag and threw her phone, charger, laptop, her picture albums, document folder, her bible, her purse, and the clothes and shoes she had set out for tomorrow in her bag within 5 minutes and then crawled on the floor to get out of the smoke and pressed her hand against her door. Luckily it was cool and then she turned the handle and crawled on the floor and saw a path to her door that was closing quickly. She crawled towards the door and the fire was closing in on her. It was getting harder to see, and she coughed and then screamed when she felt flames licking her left arm, hip, and left leg and tried to smother the flames. She also felt her hair was hot. It hurt so much! Luckily, the firefighters axed her door down and grabbed her, her bag, and purse; put the flames out on her body; and carried her out to safety. She clutched her bag and purse close to her and was coughing and felt dizzy. She was taken outside to one of 5 waiting ambulances and looked over. They put a blanket on her and gave her an oxygen mask which felt so much better, but she still felt sick. She watched the firefighters rescuing more nearby residents and fighting the flames through blurry, smoke-affected eyes, until the paramedics put her and another resident in the ambulance and took them to the hospital. The doctors looked over her burns on her arm, leg, and hip, and treated them and bandaged them up. They also treated her head for any burns and she felt so much lighter. She felt her head and realized she was bald! She gasped shocked and winced in pain; she had moved her left arm too fast.

"Shh, Miss Robinson, take it easy. You need to rest now," the nurse told her gently and put the oxygen mask on her to help give her clean air. The nurse also cleaned Misty's face, and helped her do an eye wash to get rid of the smoke residue. Misty was feeling a little better. She was relieved she was able to save her most valuable items and that she had made it out alive. They gave her a hospital gown and ensured she was in her bed and hooked up to an IV to keep her hydrated and give morphine if she needed it. She had someone come in and ask her questions to get her admitted, and she answered them.

"Do you need us to contact anyone?" the nurse asked.

"Could you contact my boss, please?" Misty requested.

"Ok, but you don't have any family in town?" the nurse inquired.

"They're in the U.S.," Misty answered.

"Oh, ok," the nurse nodded. "What's your boss's name and phone number?"

"My boss is Seto Kaiba, and may I please have my phone in my bag?" Misty requested. The nurse handed her bag to her and Misty fished around for her phone and got it out. She found Mr. Kaiba's cell number that he gave her a few weeks ago, and showed the nurse. She felt bad to be calling him this late, but this was a bit of an emergency.

The nurse dialed the number and waited as the phone rang.

Seto was sleeping soundly dreaming about asking Misty out and her saying yes, and about the date they had planned. It was a nice dream, until he was startled awake by his phone ringing. He growled irritably at the phone ringing and looked at the caller i.d. to see who dared call him at 2:00 a.m.! He yawned and rubbed his cobalt eyes and then noticed it was the hospital calling. Why were they calling? His bill for his medical care was long taken care of.

"H-Hello?" he answered sleepily.

"Hello Mr. Kaiba, my name is Vanessa Iwatari, and I'm a nurse at Domino Hospital. I have a patient named Misty Robinson here. She instructed me to call you as an emergency contact," the nurse greeted. Seto was fully alert now and his cobalt eyes were wide hearing that.

"Misty is in the hospital?!" he exclaimed alarmed.

"Yes sir. You're her emergency contact," Nurse Iwatari replied.

"What happened? Is she ok?" Seto demanded.

"She was in a fire. She suffered burns on her left arm, hip, leg, and her scalp, and suffered smoke inhalation, but she is otherwise physically ok. We will need to keep her at least today for observation," Nurse Iwatari informed him.

"…Ok," Seto replied still stunned. "May I come see her?"

"She needs a little rest. You may come later this morning at about 7 a.m." Nurse Iwatari told him.

"…Ok," Seto replied a little irritated.

"We will see you later," Nurse Iwatari told him and hung up.

 _"How terrible!" his inner self exclaimed._

 _"I know. How can I sleep now knowing she's in the hospital?" Seto asked._

 _"Well you have to try," his inner self told him. "The ZZZQuil is on your nightstand,"_ he added. Seto sighed, and took 2 tablespoons of the purple, berry-flavored medicine and felt himself relaxing and falling back to sleep, but he was plagued by nightmares of her being engulfed in flames until he had to wake up at 6 a.m. He got showered and ready to go and was even more anxious.

Mokuba was up and excited to present his tale to the class today, and was dressed and ready in his uniform and came downstairs and saw how anxious his brother was.

"Seto? What's wrong? You haven't been this anxious in a while? Are you nervous about asking her out?" Mokuba asked concerned and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"She's in the hospital…" Seto replied.

"WHAT?! What happened?!" Mokuba demanded shocked and scared.

"She was in a fire," Seto replied.

"WHAT?! Is she okay?!" Mokuba demanded.

"The nurse said that she was burned on her left arm, hip, leg, and scalp, and suffered smoke inhalation, but she was physically otherwise ok," Seto explained.

"Let's go to the hospital!" Mokuba demanded. "Can I be late to school?"

"I suppose that's alright," Seto replied.

"Alright, thanks! Let's go!" Mokuba urged. They got their bags and told Edward to drive them to the hospital.

"Is everything alright Mr. Kaiba?" Edward asked concerned.

"Misty is in the hospital! We need to hurry!" Mokuba replied urgently. Edward was stunned.

"What?! What happened?"

"She was in a fire," Seto answered.

"Is she alright?" Edward asked as he started the limo.

"She suffered a few burns and smoke inhalation, but the nurse said she was otherwise physically okay," Seto explained. "Please hurry," Seto commanded urgently. Edward nodded and drove as quickly and safely as he could to the hospital. Once he got to the drop off lane, he opened the door for them let them out and then went to find parking in the meantime.

* * *

Meanwhile, Misty was starting to stir with the bright light filtering through the window. She sighed heavily.

"Good morning Misty," Nurse Iwatari greeted.

"Good morning," Misty replied with a half-smile.

"How is your pain this morning?" Nurse Iwatari asked.

"It's about a 5," Misty answered.

"Do you want some morphine?" Nurse Iwatari asked.

"Maybe a little bit… I also need to use the bathroom," Misty answered.

"Alright, let me help you up," Nurse Iwatari replied as she helped her move from the bed and helped wheel the IV cart to the bathroom and helped her get situated and use the restroom. When Misty was done, she helped her wash her hands and back to her bed. Misty winced a little at the tenderness of her burns. Nurse Iwatari helped her get settled and then injected a little morphine into the IV line. Misty melted in relaxation a few minutes later. Not too long after that, Nurse Iwatari brought in some breakfast for her, which consisted of strawberries with Nutella, an orange, scrambled eggs, and heart shaped pancakes with milk to drink.

"Well this is hearty and festive," Misty remarked with a smile. Nurse Iwatari smiled.

"Yeah, we're getting festive for Valentine's Day tomorrow," Nurse Iwatari explained.

"Ah I see," Misty replied.

"Enjoy," Nurse Iwatari replied and left the room to take care of other patients. Misty smiled and dug into her breakfast and enjoyed it while watching some TV.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto and Mokuba finally asked an information clerk, who had been held up for at least 15 minutes by a crowd of annoying people who had 1000 questions. Exasperated, they went to find another information desk, and that had just as many people as the other one. They finally had their turn to ask and found out Misty was in room 605. The elevator took a while but then they were finally on. They got off on the 6th floor and found 605 and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Misty called back. Immediately the door opened and their faces fell in shock upon seeing her.

"Misty?! Is that you?" Mokuba asked stunned. Seto was also stunned to see that she was bald and saw the slightly puckered skin on her scalp, and the bandage on her arm. He saw her bandaged leg peeking in spots under the blanket.

"Yeah, it's me… I know… I look a little like Two-Face from Batman…" she remarked.

"No you don't," Seto assured her. Misty gave him a rueful smile.

"Thanks," she replied. Mokuba immediately came in and pushed her finished tray and table away and hugged her. Misty winced a little.

"I'm sorry," Mokuba apologized realizing that it probably hurt.

"It's just tender and sensitive," she told him.

"We were so worried about you," Mokuba told her and was a little gentler.

"Yeah, I had a hard time sleeping after the phone call this morning," Seto admitted as he sat in a chair.

"Sorry," Misty apologized awkwardly.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault you were in a fire, was it?" Seto asked a little unsure. He hoped she didn't cause the fire. Misty knew what he was implying and gave him a little bit of a sour scowl.

"No, I didn't burn my apartment down… I wasn't even burning anything and my stove was off. The neighbor was burning a candle, and it started the fire," Misty explained.

"How do you know?" Seto asked. Misty kept scowling at him irritably.

"Because the smoke was laced with Cherry Vanilla smell," Misty retorted. "I smelled it and the smoke and then my smoke alarm gave an ungodly screech that woke me. The acrid smoke was all around me and I rushed to get my most important things and one outfit I had lying out, and was almost trapped inside as I was trying to escape, and got burned. It hurt like hell. Luckily the fireman axed my door down and carried me and my bags out. After I was treated, I figured I should call you and inform you what was going on because 1) this was an emergency and I didn't have anyone else in town who I knew well enough to make my emergency contact, since my family is back in Texas 2) There would absolutely be no way I'd be able to work today 3) I figured you should've known so that you wouldn't have come for me in the morning and think I was dead," Misty explained. Seto listened and nodded.

"Even though it worried me to get a call like that in the morning, I'm glad you had the nurse call me," Seto told her.

"And when Seto told me this morning, I was so scared that we would lose you," Mokuba added and was a little teary-eyed. "I don't know what we would've done if you didn't make it out." Misty smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately and squeezed his hand.

"Well, thank God I did get out," she replied and smiled.

"Indeed," Seto agreed.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I'm going to have to find a new apartment now… along with getting all new things… I'm not sure how much of my stuff got burned and destroyed, but that stuff over there in the corner was all I managed to save…" Misty replied melancholically. They looked at her big tote bag and her purse.

"What did you save?" Mokuba asked.

"The outfit I was planning to wear today, my old pictures, important documents, my laptop, my phone and charger, bible, and my purse," Misty told them.

"So you don't have anything except that?" Mokuba asked.

"That's all I have at the moment, unless I'm able to salvage anything from my apartment, but I remember pretty much everything was on fire," Misty replied.

"Well, we can help you, right Seto?" Mokuba assured her.

"Right. In fact, I normally wouldn't offer ANYONE this, but it is clearly necessary right now, …and I…find myself….attracted…to you…" Seto began. Misty blushed a little hearing him say that.

"Go on?" she encouraged.

"I'm going to offer you to move in with me and Mokuba," Seto managed to get out and took a deep breath. Misty was surprised and started to smile.

"Thank you, I accept your offer," Misty answered. She thought it was so kind of him to offer her to move in with them.

"Yay! You're going to live with us!" Mokuba cheered and gave her another gentle but excited hug. Misty chuckled and Seto smirked satisfied. "And we can take you shopping this weekend so you can get some clothes!" Mokuba offered. Seto nodded in agreement.

"Sure," Misty agreed with a smile. She felt so blessed that they were willing to help her.

"Also… I was wondering… if…" Seto began and tried to find his courage to ask her.

 _"You can do it! This should be easy since she's going to be living with you now!" his inner self encouraged._

"If?" Misty asked curiously, encouraging him to continue with his question.

"If… you'd want to go on… a date…with me…" he got out. Misty thought it was cute and giggled. Seto was so nervous, especially when she giggled.

"Yes. When?" Misty asked, accepting his invitation. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as she smiled at him.

"I was hoping tomorrow," Seto answered.

"A valentine's date?" Misty asked with a smile. She was quite pleasantly surprised.

"Yes. I…wanted you…to be my…Valentine," he told her feeling a little awkward. Being flirty wasn't his strong suit, but that didn't bother her.

"I thought the same way," she told him blushing a little. Mokuba's face broke out into another Cheshire cat grin.

"Really?" Seto asked incredulously and feeling a sense of excitement and joy start to fill him. This was the first time he had asked a girl out, and she didn't reject him.

"Yes," Misty reassured him. "What kind of date did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking… maybe dinner, and a painting and wine class," Seto suggested and was gauging her reaction.

"Ooh! I've been wanting to do one of those for the longest time! Even back in San Antonio!" Misty exclaimed excitedly.

"Really? Why did you never do it before?" Mokuba implored curiously.

"Never had the money to do it," Misty explained.

"Well now you can," Seto assured her with a pleased smirk.

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Misty declared eagerly. "I can't wait!" Seto was so proud she was excited. He hoped that she would be out of the hospital in time for that.

"It'll be an awesome date!" Mokuba said excitedly.

"Yeah! What are you going to do in the meantime?" Misty asked Mokuba.

"I'm probably going to go to the arcade or something," he replied.

"Sounds fun. Oh yeah, and today's your presentation for the class, right?" Misty asked changing the subject.

"Yeah. I hope I win. Say, could I add your fire story to my medley?" Mokuba requested.

"Okay sure," Misty agreed.

"May…I take a picture of you?" Mokuba added.

"Alright," Misty consented and pulled the blanket off her leg so it could be in the picture. Mokuba got out his phone and at her left side while Seto closed the blinds so there wasn't a glare. Misty looked towards Mokuba and gave a small smile for the picture. There was a flash and Mokuba had captured it.

"Got it," Mokuba told her and showed her. Misty nodded.

"Looks alright," Misty said as she looked at it.

"Yeah," Mokuba concurred.

"I hope it helps you win," Misty wished.

"Oh, I think I got it in the bag!" Mokuba declared, displaying the signature Kaiba confidence. Seto chuckled proudly at his brother's confidence.

"Of COURSE you do," Seto assured him. Mokuba beamed proudly and grinned.

"You sure do," Misty agreed.

"Thanks Misty and Seto!" Mokuba thanked them.

"Of course kiddo," Misty replied.

"Alright Mokuba, I think it's time for you to go to school," Seto announced.

"Aww… alright…" Mokuba pouted. He didn't want to leave Misty's side.

"I know kiddo, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll still be here when you get off and come to see me," Misty promised.

"Okay," Mokuba relented and gave her another hug.

"Just think about winning today," Misty encouraged.

"Yeah!" Mokuba agreed excitedly.

"Alright, let's go," Seto declared and looked back at Misty. "We'll see you later," he promised.

"I look forward to your return, sweetie," she teased. Seto gave a slight chuckle at her teasing. Mokuba chuckled too. Misty then blew a kiss at them playfully. "Have a good day!" she bade with a playful wink. They smiled and chuckled and left. Seto was feeling elated and energized, even more than if he had coffee.

"You're so happy," Mokuba observed with a smile.

"I am. I have a valentine and a date tomorrow, if she gets released by then. She didn't reject me," he told his brother.

"And she's going to live with us!" Mokuba added.

"Indeed," Seto agreed and then went down to the first floor and had Edward pick them up.

"Is she okay?" Edward asked and then noticed Seto was elated.

"Yeah, she is," Mokuba told Edward.

"Oh good, I'm so glad to hear that. What happened?"

"Her neighbor left a candle on and it caught fire. She was lucky to escape," Mokuba explained.

"Oh dear!" Edward exclaimed.

"Yeah. She is also going to be living with us now," Mokuba added.

"Alright," Edward nodded and closed the door once they were in and started driving Mokuba to school.

"I can't believe she is going to live with us!" Mokuba exclaimed excitedly.

"I know," Seto said coolly but inside he was excited, and nervous. He just hoped he didn't scare her off with his inexperience.

 _"What are you worried about? She accepted you as is," his inner self reassured him._

 _"Yeah," Seto agreed._ Soon, Mokuba was dropped off at school and Seto signed him in and Mokuba got an excused hall pass.

"I'll come with Edward to get you so we can see Misty again when you get done with school," Seto instructed him. Mokuba smiled.

"Alright bro, see you later," Mokuba bade and then went to get his books and notebooks for his classes before lunch. He still couldn't believe that Misty was in a fire and escaped, she agreed to date Seto, and that she was moving in. He walked to class and gave his teacher the hall pass to sign acknowledging that he would mark Mokuba down as an excused tardy. He would get his first period teacher to sign it before lunch. He paid attention in all his classes, took all his notes, etc., but he was more focused on Misty. At about lunchtime Mokuba approached his first period teacher and got the excused slip signed. He enjoyed his lunch, got his books for the latter half of the day, and went to the library to see if the book he was looking for, The Atlantis Gene, was available. Unfortunately it was not. He sighed heavily and then heard a thud of books fall to the floor a few aisles away. He saw a shy young lady with brown braided pigtails; black frame glasses over jade green eyes; wearing the girls' uniform of the pink blazer; white shirt; blue neck bow; a longer, blue, knee-length skirt; and black Mary-Janes with the Z straps over white ankle socks. She sighed and knelt down to pick up the books.

"Here, let me help you," Mokuba offered as he helped pick up the books. The young woman smiled and blushed. She couldn't believe Mokuba Kaiba was actually helping her. She admired him and his big brother, but him especially. He was so handsome with his thick black hair pulled back into a ponytail, warm grey eyes, and the blue uniform made his tall, lean, body look regal.

"Th-thank you," the young woman said shyly as she blushed as she held the books. Mokuba also found himself blushing at her. She was so cute and shy.

"You're welcome," Mokuba replied casually. "What's your name?"

"Sophia Yakamori," Sophia introduced herself.

"I'm Mokuba Kaiba," Mokuba introduced himself.

"I know," she said with a shy smile. Mokuba chuckled.

"Yeah, you probably do," he replied and gave an awkward chuckle. "Well, it's nice to meet you Sophia," he told her.

"Likewise," Sophia agreed with a smile.

"I don't remember seeing you around, are you new?" Mokuba asked.

"No, I just hang out a lot in the library," Sophia explained. "Nobody notices me…"

"Oh. I noticed you," Mokuba countered gently.

"That's true, and I'm very fortunate to have you notice me," Sophia told him humbly. Mokuba smiled and heard the bell ring.

"Argh!" he growled at the bell and sighed. "I have to go to class. Maybe tomorrow we can go have coffee? I don't really have any plans," Mokuba invited.

"I'd like that," Sophia accepted eagerly, but was still shy.

"Great! Meet me at this coffee shop at about 4:00 tomorrow," Mokuba instructed as he wrote down the address to his and Seto's favorite coffee shop and gave his phone number.

"I'll be there," Sophia promised with a blush.

"I look forward to it!" Mokuba declared and got his things and hurried to class feeling utterly elated and a little giddy. He was also charged up knowing this was English class and he would get to present his tale to the class, and they had snacks!

"I look forward to it too," Sophia told herself as she held the paper and put it in the cell phone pocket of her purse so she would have it later and she hurried to class. On the way there, she ran into some bullies.

"In a hurry, Yakamori?" they jeered and then knocked the books out of her hand and laughed as she scrambled to pick them up and her papers.

"Why do you have to be such jerks?" Sophia demanded angrily. She hated how they abused her like this, and of course, nobody helped her. The bullies laughed and continued to tease her. Mokuba was down the hall and heard what they were doing and alerted his teacher. His teacher followed him and saw the bullies messing with her. She grabbed them by the collars and yanked them to get their attention and called for another teacher and an administrator to help. The other teacher and the administrator came out and helped. The teachers were angry with the bullies and the administrator dragged them to the office. Mokuba helped Sophia pick up her books and papers. Sophia smiled.

"I got lucky meeting someone as kind as you, Mokuba," she complimented him. Mokuba blushed.

"So did I. Are you ok?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I am now, thank you," Sophia told him with another blush. Mokuba's teacher joined them and led them to class and gave Mokuba and Sophia a hall pass.

"Mokuba, please take Sophia to her class," his teacher instructed.

"Yes ma'am," Mokuba replied politely and walked with Sophia to her class.

"Thank you for walking me to class," Sophia thanked Mokuba.

"My pleasure," Mokuba assured her with a smile. Sophia wrote her phone number down for him and handed it to him.

"I didn't get to give it to you earlier," she told him. Mokuba smiled and then plugged it into his phone and saved it to the sim card.

"It's saved," he told her with a smile. Sophia smiled back. He felt so giddy, and then a little disappointed when he dropped her off at class.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sophia told him and blushed crimson, which contrasted beautifully with her jade green eyes. Mokuba blushed a little.

"Yeah," he agreed. Sophia then decided to be bold and kissed his cheek and blushed and then went inside. Mokuba was stunned. He felt an electric shock in his cheek and his hand touched the spot she kissed and felt love-struck. He sighed as he left her class and went back to his own, masking the infatuation he was feeling and took his seat. He snacked and listened to the other stories and had his stories about Misty ready, as well as his phone with the picture of her. Then, it was his turn and he read her stories, especially the one about the fire, and showed the picture of her. The class gasped upon listening and seeing the picture. They couldn't concentrate on any of the other stories, and it was clear that Mokuba had won the tale challenge for his class. His teacher awarded him the free 100. Everyone expressed sympathy that she was so burned, but were amazed that she was resilient and still had a sense of humor. Mokuba agreed with everyone in his class and was proud that he won. He couldn't wait to tell Misty and Seto! The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, but he found himself thinking about Sophia and smiled. Sophia thought about him too and was giddy. She had to hurry home and start picking out her outfit for tomorrow. Soon, it was finally the end of the day and Mokuba went to wait for Edward and Seto. It wasn't too long before they had come and Mokuba bounded to the car happily.

"Good day Mokuba?" Edward and Seto asked as Edward opened the door for him and Seto noticed the pep in his brother's step.

"Yeah!" he answered eagerly. Edward closed the door and got in the driver's seat and started the limo, hoping to beat some of the traffic getting out of the school.

"So? How did your presentation go?" Seto asked curiously.

"I won! And everyone was so sympathetic and admired her resiliency and her sense of humor in spite of everything," Mokuba explained. Seto pursed his lips and nodded in agreement.

"That we definitely can't argue with," Seto remarked.

"Yeah. I'm excited she will be living with us," Mokuba added.

"I'm a little excited too," Seto admitted. "I've…grown accustomed to her presence. It felt weird without her in the office today. It felt so…off."

"I bet," Mokuba agreed with a smile. "She certainly changed you. You're so much better now," Mokuba pointed out.

"Yeah, she did," Seto admitted and smiled a little.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked noticing that he seemed a little anxious.

"I don't want to scare her off," Seto admitted.

"If she was, she wouldn't have been with us very long," Mokuba pointed out.

"It's different with her dating me now and living with us," Seto countered.

"Not really. She's seen you at your worst and still stuck with us, and you've seen her at her meanest, but you still like her. She did what I asked and helped you to relax, and then some. It's not the same without her, and home will be better because she adds some warmth to it. It really feels right, and like home with her around," Mokuba pointed out.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Seto admitted. Mokuba grinned.

"I'm right, huh?" he teased.

"Yes…" Seto admitted and gave him a grin. Mokuba grinned back. "While you're out with Misty tomorrow, I have plans," Mokuba announced.

"Oh? What are you doing?" Seto asked curiously.

"I…have a date…" Mokuba admitted blushing as red as a tomato.

"You have a date?!" Seto exclaimed surprised and smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Well that's great Mokie!" Seto said in a brotherly tone.

"Wow, you haven't used my nickname in a LONG time," Mokuba pointed out surprised.

"It felt right," Seto replied.

"Yeah, it did," Mokuba agreed smiling.

"So, who is she?" Seto implored eagerly.

"Her name is Sophia Yakamori. She's got jade green eyes, black rimmed glasses, brown braided pigtails, and she is so shy," Mokuba gushed and blushed and felt giddy.

"Yakamori…Yakamori…that name sounds so familiar…" Seto replied as he put his hand to his chin to think and try to remember where he heard the name but nothing came but then dismissed it.

"You're so smitten with her!" Seto pointed out and laughed.

"About as much as you are with Misty," Mokuba shot back playfully.

"Touché," Seto conceded. "Where did you meet her?"

"The library. I was looking for a book, but they didn't have it. She dropped her books, and I helped her and felt drawn to her. And then she was being picked on by bullies. I got my teacher to help, and then an administrator dragged them away. My teacher gave Sophia and me a pass, and I walked her to class. She gave me her number. I gave her my number earlier, along with directions to our coffee shop for tomorrow. And when I dropped her off at class, I felt disappointed. I was surprised when she kissed my cheek. It felt like electricity," Mokuba explained. Seto smiled.

"Oh Mokuba, you're definitely smitten," Seto pointed out. Mokuba blushed a deeper crimson.

"Is that good?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes. Just be careful," Seto told him. Mokuba nodded.

"Wait until Misty hears about it," Mokuba said aloud.

"I think she'll be thrilled," Seto predicted.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed and they went to the hospital.

"Thank you Edward," they thanked him and went up to her room. Misty was watching some Futurama reruns and just relaxing. She was a little bored but then saw them come in and she smiled at them.

"Howdy guys," she greeted.

"Hey Misty!" Mokuba greeted excitedly and then came closer and hugged her gently. Misty hugged back as much as she could. Seto smiled at their embrace. Misty looked up at him.

"Jealous, honey?" she teased with a mischievous, Cheshire cat grin.

"Maybe," Seto teased back with a smirk. Misty waved him over to join and he obliged and they had a group hug.

"So, what's the scoop?" Misty asked with a hunger in her eyes. Their day was likely a lot more interesting.

"It wasn't anything special at the office," Seto replied with a shrug. "It wasn't right without you there."

"Aww, you missed me," she teased.

"Yeah," Seto admitted and blushed. Misty giggled "I missed it too," she admitted. Seto smirked a little.

"And what about you, kiddo? How did your tale go with the new addition?" Misty asked.

"I won! And everyone was so sympathetic and were impressed you were so resilient and had a sense of humor despite everything," Mokuba told her proudly.

"Well, of course I have to pick myself up somehow and keep on trucking along," Misty retorted as if it were obvious.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed with a smile.

"Congratulations on your win, kiddo!" Misty congratulated him.

"Thanks Misty! And that's not all what happened today too!" Mokuba gushed.

"Do tell!" Misty encouraged.

"I…met a girl… and I have a date with her…tomorrow…" Mokuba told her and blushed crimson again.

"Mokuba that's fantastic! Give me the details!" Misty demanded eagerly. It was so cute seeing him so crimson. Mokuba told her the story of how he met Sophia and Misty grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"That's so sweet! Mokuba is smitten!" Misty exclaimed and hugged him as gently as she could manage. Mokuba went a deeper shade of crimson.

"Well, have fun, but be careful," Misty encouraged.

"Wow, you and Seto both said that," Mokuba remarked.

"But it's true," they insisted in sync and chuckled.

"Okay," Mokuba agreed. Nurse Iwatari then came in.

"Excuse me sirs, but Misty is about to be released and needs to get dressed," Nurse Iwatari told them gently. Seto and Mokuba nodded and left the room. Nurse Iwatari pulled the curtain and helped her get dressed in the outfit she had brought with her. At least it wasn't so constricting. Nurse Iwatari removed the IV and channel and bandaged her IV spot. She helped Misty gather her things.

"And we have a couple prescriptions for you down in the pharmacy," Nurse Iwatari informed her.

"What kind of prescriptions?" Misty asked curiously.

"Some painkillers and burn cream," Nurse Iwatari explained.

"Oh ok," Misty nodded. Nurse Iwatari gave her directions to the pharmacy.

"Thank you for your help," Misty told her. Nurse Iwatari nodded and smiled. Misty then came out with her bags.

"Here Misty, let me take your bag," Seto insisted as he took her tote bag.

"Thank you," Misty said with a smile. "I have to pick up a couple prescriptions at the pharmacy," she added. Seto and Mokuba nodded and went with her to the pharmacy. When it came time for her to pay the cost for the prescriptions, Seto took over and paid for them and put them in her bag after she got instructions for them.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaiba," she told Seto. It felt strange to call him that now. Seto then whispered in her ear.

"You can call me Seto at home and anywhere else outside of work, but Mr. Kaiba at the office and work functions," he instructed.

"Okay…Seto," she obliged and felt right. Seto felt a tingle hearing her say his name. Then they went to the limo. Edward was surprised to see her.

"Hi Misty," he greeted but couldn't help looking at her bandaged skin and her burn on her head, and her baldness.

"I know, it's a little strange," she acknowledged. Edward nodded but remained professional. They thanked Edward and instructed him to pick up some fast food for dinner, and instructed him to go to a department store afterwards so they could get Misty some clothes. Edward took them for some fast food burgers and they ate in the limo. Then, Edward took them to a nice department store and they started shopping for some clothes for her. She felt a little awkward with Seto and Mokuba following, but got over it. She allowed them to pick out some of her outfits and smiled. Seto and Mokuba liked being a part of helping pick out what they liked on her, but felt a little awkward when she was getting lingerie.

"It's a part of being with a girlfriend," she reminded them with an amused smirk.

"Yeah…" Seto and Mokuba said awkwardly, but accepted it. At least they were satisfied with picking out the outfits for her. She had a whole wardrobe in a couple carts and then tried on some shoes and got some socks. They got in line and ignored people staring at them. Then it was their turn to check out and Seto immediately took over and once everything was totaled up, he paid for everything, even though the total almost choked Misty in shock.

"Don't worry about it Misty," Mokuba assured her.

"Thank you guys," Misty told them.

"What Mokuba said, don't worry about it," Seto told her and signed the receipt quickly without missing a beat. The clerk bagged the clothes and shoes and they put them back in the carts. Misty followed them as they took the bags to the limo. Seto and Edward put the clothes in the trunk, and then Seto instructed him to take them to a wig shop. He had a feeling she would want one to make her feel less self-conscious. He noticed people looked at her burns and flinched. They then went in and Misty tried on a few wigs, and found a color similar to her natural color and in a style she liked. The wig clerk told them how to take care of it and then Seto bought it for her and a wig stand to keep its shape.

"Thank you," Misty told him with a smile. This was such a blessing to her to have a boss and possible boyfriend, and his brother care so much about her to do this for her.

"You're welcome," Seto assured her like it was nothing. She put the instructions in her purse and was allowed to wear the wig out of the store while Mokuba asked Edward to put the wig stand in the trunk with everything else. Misty felt much more confident now. Once inside the limo they sighed pooped from everything that happened to them today. Seto instructed Edward to take them home. Edward brought them back to the mansion and had servants help with the bags.

"Thank you Edward," Misty told him.

"Of course Misty," Edward assured her. Seto instructed the servants to take them to a room near his. They nodded and took her things to a room near his, and Misty blushed a little. It was cute how he wanted to stay near her, but also give her space. Misty saw the room in which the servants left everything and felt right at home. They put everything away and then left. Misty thanked them and plopped down on her new bed and smiled. Both Seto and Mokuba appeared in the doorway.

"Like your new room Misty?" Mokuba asked.

"Yes, it's nice and cozy, thank you." They smiled and nodded.

"Well, we'll let you rest and get settled in," Seto told her. "Good night,"

"Good night, Seto, Mokuba. Thank you for taking me in and taking care of me tonight," she thanked them.

"You're welcome, good night," they replied and then went to their own rooms and changed and got into their respective beds to relax. They couldn't wait for Valentine's Day to start.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading ch. 8. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters.

If you are interested in checking out which new chapters I have completed and are on embargo (hold), please check my profile.


	9. 2 First Dates

**A/N _:_** Thank you to my ever loyal patron fan james. collins. 77770, and my anonymous fans Amanda and Nopotofgold for your reviews! I am so happy you are enjoying this story! :D

And a big shout out to my best friend Dark-Kokoro for her assistance, particularly the date with Sophia bit (she did create Sophia after all).

In this chapter, we get to see the guys and their sweet, shy, and anxious side when going on their first dates EVER!

Sorry it took so long. I got busy with working Howl-o-Scream at SeaWorld, and it took a while to write. Nevertheless, as a reward for y'all's patience, here is a SUPER long, sweet, and funny chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Saturday, Feb. 14th, Valentine's Day…

Seto had woken early and instructed Rosa to make chocolate chip pancakes and have strawberries on the side for him, Misty, and Mokuba. He didn't particularly enjoy sweet foods, but he would be willing to make an exception today for Misty and Mokuba, knowing they loved chocolate. Plus, it was a perfect occasion for chocolate. He also had James, the gardener, bring a single, bright pink rose with a short stem, dethorned. James came back with the pink rose as requested and Seto was impressed at its lovely bloom. Rosa finished making breakfast and set it in the breakfast nook. He held onto the rose in his pajama shirt pocket for now and went to wake Mokuba and Misty. He first went to Mokuba's room and gently nudged his brother.

"Hey Mokuba, wake up," Seto said softly. Mokuba stirred and stretched and opened his grey eyes and slowly sat up rubbing them and gave Seto a sleepy smile.

"Mornin' Seto," Mokuba mumbled and yawned. He then noticed the pink rose in his brother's pajama shirt pocket. "What's with the rose in your pocket?" he asked curiously.

"It's a valentine flower for Misty," Seto explained.

"Oh okay," Mokuba nodded.

"Rosa made chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries. It's in the breakfast nook waiting for you," Seto told him. Mokuba grinned and immediately pepped up and got out of bed and went down to the kitchen and saw a plate and claimed one.

"Thanks Rosa!" Mokuba thanked her. Back in Mokuba's room, Seto chuckled to himself and shook his head and then headed to Misty's room. Her wig was off and on the stand on the vanity and she was asleep, lying slightly curled on her good side. He thought it was kinda cute. He nudged her gently.

"Hey Misty, wake up," Seto said gently. She stirred and her chocolate brown eyes fluttered open and it took her a moment to focus on him and she stretched and slowly sat up.

"Mornin'," she mumbled and yawned.

"Good morning," Seto greeted. He watched her stretch from her seated position. He noticed how her light blue night dress clung to her curves in all the right places, but pushed that thought away.

"Our cook, Rosa, made some chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries. They're in the breakfast nook. By the way, Happy Valentine's Day," he told her as he produced the bright pink rose from his pocket. Misty smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day. I did have a homemade card for you, Mokuba, Edward, and Roland, but I think they got destroyed…" Misty babbled. Seto smiled a little.

"It's the thought that counts… thank you," he replied. "May I?" he asked as he held the rose.

"Sure," Misty consented and Seto gently placed the pink rose behind her ear. Misty blushed at the sweetness of the move.

"Lovely," Seto remarked.

"Thank you," Misty told him with a slight blush tinting her cheeks as pink as the rose behind her ear. Seto smiled a little to himself seeing her blush. He helped her up out of bed and she put her new turquoise slippers that were adorned by sequined swirls and had memory foam insoles. Then she put on her satin kimono printed with blue, pink, and purple flowers, and took his hand.

"Lead the way," she instructed and Seto led the way to the dining room holding her hand. Not surprisingly, Mokuba was halfway done chowing down his breakfast.

"Mornin' Misty! Happy Valentine's Day!" Mokuba greeted in between bites. Misty chuckled as she saw him happily chowing and sat down beside Seto inside the breakfast nook.

"Good morning Mokuba, Happy Valentine's Day," Misty greeted back. "This food looks delicious." Misty then added some syrup and then started eating her breakfast demurely. Seto also added syrup to his pancakes and also started eating. They had a warm conversation about their plans today, and discussed what they'd like to do later that evening after their dates.

"How about we watch a movie?" Mokuba suggested.

"That sounds fun. Would y'all be okay with a romantic comedy for the movie, since it is Valentine's Day?" Misty asked.

"Depends on the movie," Seto replied. He may not have had experience with women, but he had heard and read stuff that guys dreaded watching romance movies, except for maybe a few. He wasn't sure which movies they were talking about, but he knew that he didn't want to be roped into something awkward or mushy.

"I was thinking 50 First Dates or The Wedding Singer," Misty replied.

"I've never seen those," Seto admitted. "What are they about?"

"I'm curious about them too," Mokuba chimed in.

"Well 50 First Dates is about a player veterinarian who works in a Hawaiian aquarium who lies and dates women and disposes them after a few one night stands. Then he meets a woman named Lucy who has short term memory loss; her memory is erased when she wakes up the next morning. She lives everyday the same, thinking it's her dad's birthday, with no memory of any day after that. The guy, Henry, then spends the rest of the movie dating her and trying to help with her memory loss. The Wedding Singer is about a charismatic and gentlemanly wedding singer named Robbie Hart in 1985, who looks forward to his wedding. He meets a woman named Julia Sullivan, who is a waitress and a cousin to one of the other waitresses at the banquet hall. She is also engaged, but to a horrible man. Julia and Robbie become close friends. Robbie gets stood at the altar and falls into a depression. Julia and his other friends help pick him out of his funk, and he starts to fall for Julia, and she starts to fall for him. Then he discovers a secret about the horrible fiancé, and then Robbie and Julia realize they belong together. They're both a couple of my many favorites," Misty explained.

"Really? Why?" Seto asked curiously.

"They are sweet and funny. Which one would you want to watch?" They both thought about it.

"Maybe 50 First Dates?" Seto suggested.

"Yeah, especially since we're going on our first dates today," Mokuba concurred. Misty chuckled.

"That's true. Alright, after our dates, we can watch it," Misty proposed.

"Sounds great!" Mokuba exclaimed. Seto nodded and smiled a little at their excitement. They soon finished breakfast and Rosa cleaned up. Mokuba then approached Misty privately.

"Misty?" Mokuba asked shyly and had a hard time looking at her.

"What is it Mokuba?" Misty asked gently and had him look at her in the eyes.

"You've been on dates before, right?" Mokuba asked. Misty chuckled.

"You bet I have. Why do you ask, kiddo?" Misty inquired curiously.

"Well…I ask… because Seto and I have never been on dates before, and we don't know what to do… can you help us?"

"Sure Mokuba. What do you need help with?" Misty implored.

"Well, on the dates you've been on, have any of them been coffee dates?"

"Yeah, I've had quite a few of those," Misty recanted.

"What makes a good date? I want it to go well; I really like Sophia," Mokuba admitted.

"Obviously. You were over the moon gushing about her yesterday," Misty teased lightly. Mokuba gave a half smile. He knew she was affectionately teasing him, but he was also still a little nervous. Misty thought it was adorable. She gave him a playful hug. Mokuba hugged back. "In response to your question, a successful date is where you connect, enjoy each other's company, respect each other while having fun, and want to have more dates with that person. Since you've already made a connection with her, and you're a sweet gentleman, the rest is easy. Now, let's run a play by play of how to make this date great. First off, you bring her flowers. If you want, you can text her and ask her what flowers she likes. You can also ask the florist to help you pick out some flowers. By the way, different flowers have different connotations and meanings," Misty explained.

"What kind of flowers do you think would be a good idea, off the bat?" Mokuba asked.

"Not red roses, because red roses signify passionate love. Maybe pink would be good, just like the one your brother gave me. Sunflowers are also nice, as well as daffodils in bunches, lilies, tulips, gardenias, delphinium, and possibly peonies. When you get to the florist, you can pick from there, but those are some good ideas," Misty suggested. Mokuba nodded in understanding and fished his phone out of his pocket and typed them up on his notepad to remember.

"What's next after flowers?" Mokuba asked eagerly. His grey eyes were wide with rapt attention.

"Be on time. Tardiness tells your date that you don't respect their time enough. True, things happen outside of your control and are more likely to be forgiven, but you should always strive to be on time no matter what," Misty instructed sternly. Mokuba nodded as he keyed "BE ON TIME!" onto his notepad in caps and bold letters.

"Got it," Mokuba assured her.

"Good. Next step. If you go to her house, go to the front door to get her; however, since you're meeting her there, greet her with a smile and the flowers at the coffee shop. After that, you can stand in line and get your drinks. Don't let her pay or offer to pay. Later on down the line, you can let her offer and plan dates of her own if she wishes. Then, find a quiet place to sip your drinks and talk as long as you want. Just don't talk about hot button issues like politics, religion, etc.; it will make dates go awkward pretty fast. Stick to finding out about her interests and offering up the same kind of information she is giving you. If she talks about hobbies, you talk about your hobbies. While you're talking, DO NOT BE ON YOUR PHONE. It is utterly rude to be out with someone who wants to enjoy your company, and be more interested in your phone than your companion. Turn your phone off, or on silent or vibrate. From there, it's up to you. After having some coffee, I suggest taking her to the bookstore and walk around with her discussing books. I have a feeling she will be excited about it since she enjoys hanging out in the library. From there, if you want to impress her, buy her a book she's been eyeing. You can also see about finding the book you were looking for and get it too," Misty advised. Mokuba typed up "Go to door/ Greet with flowers, Buy drinks, Talk- DON'T DISCUSS POLITICS, RELIGION, HOT BUTTON ISSUES! Talk about her interests and reciprocate with the same type of information. Ex. Hobbies, Interests, etc. DON'T BE ON PHONE! (put on Silent or Vibrate). Take her to bookstore and walk around talking about books. Buy book for her."

"Got it," Mokuba assured her. "So what happens when the date is over?"

"Well, it depends. If she is waiting for her ride, you can offer a ride home, OR wait with her until her ride comes. If the date went well, ask if she would like to have another one. My bet is she will want to. If you want to give affection, like a hug or kiss, ask first, or let her give you clues."

"What kind of clues?"

"Well if she stays close to you, blushes often, and touches you occasionally, and lingers a little, she is giving you the okay to be affectionate, but it's still better to ask at first," Misty advised. Mokuba then typed "Offer her a ride home or wait with her. Ask if it's ok to hug/kiss at first. Watch for clues she wants to be close like staying close, occasional touching, blushing, and lingering."

"And from there you can determine where you stand and can come up with a second date," Misty told him.

"Thanks Misty," Mokuba told her with another hug.

"My pleasure kiddo," Misty replied with a smile. "Have a good date," she told him and gave him another affectionate hair ruffle. Mokuba smiled and let go and went to plan and study his notes in his room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto was reserving his and Misty's spots for the painting and wine class he found that was nearby. They were going to be painting what was called "Love Trees at Midnight" in which one tree would be a regular tree with green and yellow leaves, and the other tree would be pink and red leaves, and they each had a branch that would meet in the middle in the shape of a heart.

" _Definitely suitable for couples and for Valentine's Day," his inner self remarked._

" _Indeed. I suppose I should get some wine for us tonight," Seto replied._

" _Yeah. Would you be willing to share with everyone?" his inner self asked._

" _I don't really want to. It is BYOB, so if they want a drink they can bring their own," Seto pointed out._

" _Alright. Make sure you have dinner at least 2 ½ hours ahead of being there. It'll give you plenty of time to get seated, eat, and make it there on time without worrying about rushing. Don't get too fancy because you will be painting, and you wouldn't want to get paint on your fancy clothes, even with a smock," his inner self advised._

" _Good point," Seto agreed and got an outfit of relaxed slacks and an older blue button down shirt out._ He made reservations at a steakhouse and felt his nerves start to act up with the realization sinking in that this was his first date. He was planning everything out in in his head to ensure that it went well, for hours, until lunch.

"So, what time are we going?" Misty asked Seto curiously.

"Well, we have to be at the painting class by 6:45. If we're not in the room by 7 p.m. they won't let us participate. I was thinking we should have dinner about 2 ½ hours ahead of time so that way we can eat and enjoy each other's company and pick up some wine without having to rush. So we'll have dinner about 4:15 or so. Then we can make a quick stop depending on how much time we have for wine, and then go to the painting class and take our seats. Then after we get home about 9:30, watch the movie," Seto detailed the itinerary.

"Alright, sounds great," Misty replied. "I have an idea, maybe we can have Edward stop and get the wine and the movie while we're at dinner?" she suggested.

"Good idea. What kind do you like?" Seto inquired.

"I like Moscato, sangria, and sweet wines/booze," Misty answered.

"Alright, I suppose we can get a bottle of Moscato wine," Seto consented.

"Cool," Misty replied with a smile. Seto mirrored her smile and they continued enjoying each other's company over lunch and then went back to their own rooms to get ready at a leisurely pace. Misty was busy deciding which of her new outfits she wanted to wear to dinner and painting, and decided on some black jeans and a pink peasant blouse and black boots. It was just dressy enough for dinner, and comfortable enough for painting. She went and got showered and dressed in her outfit but decided to wait to put her shoes on for a while and put her burn cream on and then some makeup and her wig. She relaxed for a little while before putting her wig and shoes on at about 4:00.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto continued to play the date in his head.

" _You're seriously overthinking this. Just relax," his inner self advised._

" _I just never been out on a date before and I don't want to mess up," Seto explained._

" _I know, but it's just a dinner, and then a class. You have good interactions with her in general, why is tonight any different?" his inner self countered. Seto sighed. He knew it was foolish to worry, but his nerves for having his first date were strong._

" _That's so cute how you're so in love with her that you're nervous," his inner self teased. A blush rose to Seto's cheeks. "You're blushing!" his inner self accused gleefully._

" _Ok, fine… will you shut up now?" Seto snapped at him. His inner self laughed and continued teasing him. "You don't know when to shut up, do you?" he snarled._

" _No," his inner self retorted with impish delight. Seto then forced him to shut up with the proverbial duct tape and heard a knock on the door, and then it slowly opened._

"Seto? You ready to…" Misty began and then saw he was still in nothing but his boxers.

" _Mmm! What a delicious sight!" her inner self exclaimed lustfully._

" _Shut up!" Misty snapped at her, but she had to admit he looked good, but she was a little peeved too because he wasn't ready._

"Seto! Come on! Didn't you make reservations for us to have dinner at 4:15? It's 4:05!" Misty exclaimed. "Hurry!" she commanded and left the room and went to sit and wait in the living room with her arms crossed across her chest, one leg crossed over the other, and her purse sitting at her side while she waited.

* * *

Seto was utterly embarrassed she had walked in on him in his underwear. He couldn't believe how much time had passed as he argued with his inner self and that he wasn't ready.

" _Look what you did! You got me in trouble with Misty!" Seto snarled at his inner self._

" _Sorry…" his inner self apologized sheepishly._ Seto fumed annoyed with himself as he quickly got dressed and spritzed a little of his cologne and got his wallet in his pocket and came out of his room, went to the living room, and saw her waiting with crossed legs and arms.

"I'm ready… sorry…" he apologized as he came to her. Misty gingerly got up from the couch and got her purse and went to him.

"Apology accepted. Now, let's go," Misty replied as she took his arm and went out to the limo where Edward was waiting after he'd taken Mokuba to the coffee shop after getting some white calla lilies. Misty got in gingerly and thanked Edward and then Seto got in after her and sat beside her.

"So what were you doing that you weren't dressed and ready to go when I came to see if you were ready?" Misty began curiously. It was one of her pet peeves when others weren't ready on time. Seto winced and was a little embarrassed, especially since she seemed irritated.

"Well… this is going to sound crazy… but… I was…having an…argument with…myself… I was nervous and trying to get into a calmer state," Seto admitted awkwardly.

"…What?" Misty asked and chuckled. "Did you win at least?" she teased. Seto chuckled a little awkwardly.

"Yeah, I think so," he joked again.

"Good. Are you nervous?" Misty asked.

"A little…" Seto admitted.

"Why?" Misty inquired.

"I've never been on a date before…" Seto confessed.

"I know. Mokuba told me. What are you worried about? It's dinner and a painting class, and watching a movie together later. It's JUST me," Misty tried to reassure him.

"That's the thing… it IS you… things are different with you," Seto countered.

"Why?" Misty pressed.

"I don't know," Seto replied feeling slightly agitated from the probing questions.

"Well, stop worrying," Misty commanded. "It's only going to rob your fun for tonight."

" _She's right…" his inner self concurred._ Seto sighed and nodded.

"Alright," he agreed.

"Good," Misty nodded satisfied. The ride to the restaurant was comfortable and companionably silent as they held hands and relaxed. When they got to the restaurant, Edward opened the door and Seto got out first and helped Misty out.

"Thank you, honey," Misty said with a teasing and impish grin. Seto was mildly uncomfortable because the saccharine sweet nicknames were a little much right now, especially when he wasn't used to it, and was already feeling like his nerves were on pins and needles. His inner self chuckled.

" _And so it begins!" he chirped teasingly._

" _Shut up!" Seto snarled at him. "I don't need your commentary when I'm already anxious!"_

"Thank you Edward," Misty told Edward, jarring Seto back to the present.

"Of course Misty," Edward nodded with a smile.

"Edward, could you please pick up some Moscato wine for us and a copy of 50 First Dates?" Seto requested.

"Certainly sir. Just call when you're ready," Edward replied and then left on his errand. Seto offered his arm.

"Thanks honey," Misty teased deliberately again, just to see him squirm; it was kinda cute seeing "All Mighty Seto Kaiba" squirming. "Something wrong, sweetie?" Misty asked batting her eyes teasingly.

"I'm not used to all these mushy nicknames… and it's just making me more anxious," Seto admitted.

"Oh would you lighten up? I'm just teasing and playing with you," Misty replied.

"I know…" Seto replied and took a breath and opened the door and held it for her as they went inside and to the host stand. "Kaiba, table for 2, please."

"Ah yes, hello Mr. Kaiba, right this way please," the host replied as he grabbed a couple menus and led them to their table and placed the menus on the table. Seto pulled her chair out for her.

"Thank you," Misty told Seto with a smile.

"You're welcome," Seto replied as he then sat down across from her.

"I hope you enjoy your evening. Your server tonight will be Victor," the host told them.

"Thank you," Seto and Misty replied. The host nodded and went back to his podium. Misty and Seto then opened their menus and perused the options available.

"Get whatever you are hungry for," Seto instructed. "Do you want some wine with dinner?" he asked.

"Well we ARE going to have wine at our painting class, we don't want to get too much wine before that," Misty replied.

"That's true," Seto realized.

"So I'll simply have some iced tea in the meantime," Misty told him.

"And what will you have to eat?" Seto asked.

"Steak and bacon cheddar mashed potatoes sound good," Misty answered.

"That does sound good," Seto agreed and then Victor, a young man in his 20s with black hair and brown eyes came to the table to take their orders. After he left with their orders, Seto gazed at Misty.

"So… what should we talk about?" Seto asked nervously. Misty squeezed his hand with her left hand and his eyes involuntarily went to her bandages covering her burns on her arm. Misty caught him staring at her bandages and felt a little awkward.

"Do they hurt?" Seto asked gently.

"They're tender mostly, but that's it. I did remember to put some burn cream on to help," Misty replied.

"Good, I'm glad. I'm relieved that it's not as painful," Seto told her.

"Yeah, thank God it wasn't worse," Misty said solemnly.

"Indeed," Seto nodded in agreement.

"What would you have done if it was worse?" Misty inquired curiously.

"I would get you the best care possible and do what I could to fully restore you," Seto answered without hesitation.

"But that would've taken a long time to recover. What would you do in the meantime regarding your work?"

"Well, Mokuba and I would've found someone to fill in until you were better," Seto answered.

"You mean a temp?" Misty clarified.

"Yes. "

"Did you consider hiring temps during your assistant hunt?" she asked curiously.

"I. tried. EVERYONE. I could. think. of," Seto emphasized.

"So you would've essentially been back at square one again, before I came," Misty clarified. Seto pursed his lips and nodded grimly and shuddered at the horrible thought.

"And it would've been the same thing if I was killed?" Misty added.

"Stop it. It's bad enough thinking about you if you were injured worse. Don't even try to make me think about what would happen if you were killed," Seto snapped and shuddered more.

"Sorry," Misty replied and backed off. She couldn't help that she was curious what he would do. It was really sweet that he got that worked up and was willing to do whatever it took to get her fully restored. She squeezed his hand again. Seto squeezed back and felt a little possessive. He gave her a slight shadow smile and cleared his throat to find the next topic of conversation.

"So, about painting tonight… I just want you to know I haven't painted since high school in art class…" Seto warned.

"It's alright. It's been a couple years for me too, but they will teach you exactly how to paint whatever we're painting, step by step. You'll be just fine," Misty reassured him.

"Alright," Seto replied placated by her reassurances. "So, you've always wanted to do this, hm?"

"Yes! I've been following them online and the stuff they paint looked so beautiful and fun, and I kept telling myself 'someday!', and now that day is today!" Misty gushed. Seto smiled at how excited she was. He was so glad his inner self thought about this! His inner self beamed and swelled with pride for receiving credit for this idea.

"You know, I see a glow when you talk about art," Seto pointed out.

"I've ALWAYS loved it. I was always drawing, coloring, and doing all sorts of art projects. I think I wanted to be like my dad and members of his family because they're artists too. I was even in 'Varsity Art' when I was in high school," Misty explained.

"Varsity art? What's that?" Seto asked confused. He had heard of varsity sports teams, but never varsity art.

"It was Art 4 class in high school. I took art every year I was in high school. I was even secretary of the art club," Misty explained.

"Wow, you REALLY loved art," Seto remarked. Misty nodded happily.

"Art and English were the classes I looked forward to each day," Misty told him with a fond, distant look slightly clouding her chocolate eyes. Seto loved seeing how vibrant she seemed right now. She had a warm red-orange glow that reflected her passion. Seto smiled feeling her passion spark a bit of excitement in him for painting later.

"So, what are we painting in the class tonight?" Misty asked eagerly.

"I'm not telling you," Seto replied with a smirk. His cobalt eyes also seemed to smirk with smug satisfaction that he knew.

"Aww come on!" Seto chuckled at her response.

"It's a surprise," he said gently with a smirk.

"Alright…" Misty conceded reluctantly. Seto smirked proudly that he won that little bit. "So, are you excited?"

"Actually, I'm quite excited now, especially the way you rave about it," he admitted. Misty beamed flashing her pearly white teeth, and her chocolate eyes crinkled a little. Seto clenched his fist and decided to be bold. He looked around briefly and saw that nobody was really paying attention to them (he did have an image to uphold after all). He quickly leaned over to Misty's surprise and swiftly planted a light kiss on her cheek.

" _Wow! He kissed your cheek!" her inner self squealed._

" _Bold move! Bravo! Bravo!" his inner self cheered._

" _Dare we ask him to be bolder and aim for another target?" Misty's inner self challenged with heavy breathing, the same way a fangirl might do when around her idol._

" _Geez, you sound like a teenage fangirl on a soap opera," Misty teased her. Her inner self reeled it in a little, but she was still giddy._

" _Do it! Challenge him to be bold and aim for another target!" her inner self commanded eagerly. Misty shrugged. She figured it was ok, especially if was playfully teasing him._

"If you're feeling bolder, you can aim for another target," Misty dared to challenge him.

"Here? Now?" Seto asked unsure.

" _Are you going to do it?!" his inner self asked with a half-choked, excited squeak._

"No time like the present," Misty added boldly and nonchalantly.

" _Is she seriously asking me to kiss her on the lips right now?" Seto thought feeling like an exhilarated pre-pubescent boy._

" _Yeah!" his inner self agreed gleefully. "Do it! I DARE you!"_

Seto decided to take the dare and leaned over and lightly kissed her lips feeling an electric jolt for a moment and then parted and had a slight blush on his face. Misty was a little stunned that he actually did it, about the jolt, and the fact he was blushing.

"Wow!" she remarked and smiled, blushing a little herself. "Blushing looks good on you," she complimented Seto in a whisper feeling a little bashful.

"It does not!" Seto insisted slightly indignantly. He was trying to be masculine still, and didn't want the blushing to make him seem less masculine.

" _It's ok," his inner self tried to reassure him._

"And why not?" Misty asked. Seto was silent; he wanted to keep his masculinity present. Masculine men didn't like blushing. "It's ok that you are," Misty added, also trying to reassure him. Seto desperately looked for another subject to talk about, but Misty beat him to the punch.

"So… I'm curious…" Misty began.

"About?" Seto asked, encouraging her to continue.

"What made you decide to ask me out?" Misty asked.

"Aside from Mokuba nagging me every 5 minutes?" Seto quipped with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Misty chuckled and nodded. "It felt right, I had nothing to lose, so I went for it," Seto added. Misty nodded.

"And you succeeded," Misty added with a smile.

"Yeah," Seto agreed, slightly mirroring her smile. Misty decided to kiss his cheek a brief moment.

"You want to know something funny?" Misty asked changing the subject.

"Sure."

"Mokuba asked me for advice for his date, and he even took notes. He is so smitten with her; it's so cute!" Misty replied with a chuckle and fondness in her chocolate eyes.

"Really?" Seto asked and chuckled. Sure, Mokuba had all this advice for him, but when it came time for him to have a date, he didn't know what to do. The irony was delicious. Misty nodded.

"I wonder how it went," Seto wondered.

"I guess we'll find out when he comes home, but I bet he has a girlfriend now," Misty wagered.

"I bet you're right," Seto agreed. It wasn't long before their food had come and they both enjoyed the savory flavors. It was so satisfying. When Victor came back to take their plates, he asked if they wanted dessert. Seto looked at Misty and Misty nodded.

"We can share it," Misty suggested. Seto nodded in agreement.

"What would you like?" Seto inquired.

"You know me, anything chocolate," Misty replied and picked a chocolate cake off the dessert menu. Victor nodded and went to put the order in. A few minutes later, he returned with the chocolate cake and 2 forks. They took turns spearing the decadent cake with their forks, and when the cake hit their tongues, it was like being overcome with a tidal wave of rich, fudgy flavor. It was definitely enjoyable, and Seto had to admit he enjoyed it, especially since he was sharing with Misty. When they finished, Victor brought the check and Seto immediately grabbed it, got his card out and looked over the bill, and paid it with a proportionate tip. He then called Edward, who had just finished dropping Mokuba off at home, to come get them. They held hands and sat on the bench outside while they waited, comfortably enjoying their connection. About 15 minutes later, Edward came. He opened the door and he and Seto helped Misty into the limo. He handed Seto the bag containing the movie, Moscato wine, and some snacks he figured they'd enjoy.

"Thank you Edward," Seto told him pleased.

"Thank you Edward," Misty echoed. Edward smiled and nodded.

"My pleasure," he replied and shut the door and got into the driver's seat and drove them to the painting class. They arrived to the class about 20 minutes prior to start time and got situated. They opened their snacks and their Moscato, and put the aprons on. Misty then saw the painting they were about to do and smiled. It was perfect for tonight- Love Trees at Midnight. They poured themselves some wine and enjoyed some of the snacks as they sipped. Seto had to admit he liked the sweet Moscato wine; it was sweet, but not too much. Seto made sure to choose a canvas in which the covered paper plates underneath it contained the yellow and green leafed color palate he wanted to use. Misty took the canvas beside him, underneath which contained the red and pink leafed color palate. Beside the small easels was a plastic cup of water, napkins, and 3 brushes- a big brush for big spaces, a medium square brush, and a small detail brush. A few people in the class with them had asked if they could have some wine, to which Seto flatly refused and reminded them that they should've brought their own. The people were annoyed but then took their seats. At 7:00 precisely, the instructor, Laura, introduced herself and promptly got started with the lesson. She was humorous and easy-going with the lesson and made sure to make the steps easy to copy.

" _This is pretty good. She makes painting easy," Seto thought as he painted._ He noticed Misty was following along with the lesson, but was pretty into the painting and her brush strokes; she was also a little faster and had a smooth technique going on, and also painted on the edges. She was also happy. Seto smiled a little knowing he picked the right thing for them to do for their date. Misty looked back at him and glanced at his painting and smiled.

"See? You're doing pretty well," she praised him. Seto felt proud to receive her praise.

"Thank you. Yours looks great too," he complimented her.

"Thank you," Misty smiled and beamed. "Our paintings definitely look good together," she added as she leaned back to get a good look at them together.

"Of course they do," Seto agreed. They were about to start a new layer of the trees and leaves, but Laura had them take a break for 15 minutes to let the paintings dry just a bit before starting the tree layer.

Misty and Seto sipped their Moscato and she squeezed his hand. Seto squeezed back, loving the electric connection that sparked again. When the 15 minutes were up, Laura resumed the lesson and showed them how to paint the trees, add the leaves, the bark, and the other details. Seto paid careful attention to these details, and he and Misty matched where the branches met to form the heart. Misty had an idea to add a leafy "spark" where the branches touched to represent the spark they felt every time they touched.

"Brilliant idea," Seto complimented her softly. He took part in adding some of his leaves to the "spark" and felt proud that they could capture that.

A little while later, they had finished with their paintings and took a picture with them, and then a group picture of everyone and their paintings. They then got their Moscato and everything else together and then went out to the limo. Edward took the paintings and put them on one of the bench seats.

"The paintings look great," Edward complimented them.

"Thanks Edward," Misty beamed and Seto echoed. Seto put the Moscato and other things down with the paintings and helped Misty inside and then sat flush against her and held her hand, resuming their electrical connection. Edward shut the door and then got in the driver seat and started driving home.

"So, where do you want to hang our masterpieces?" she asked him.

"Maybe we can hang it in the dining room?" Seto suggested.

"Sure that sounds great," Misty agreed happily. "So, did you have fun painting with me?"

"I sure did. I see why you like it," Seto answered.

"Maybe we can paint together more often? Just find a room, get a couple canvases and paints and just go to town," Misty suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, but I'm not much of a painter," Seto replied a little embarrassed.

"You did well tonight, and I can teach you," Misty offered. "You and Mokuba taught me Duel Monsters, it's time I repay the favor, by teaching you how to paint."

" _She has a point," Seto's inner self remarked with a smirk._

"Alright, I suppose we can do that," Seto relented.

"Yay! We're going to fill the walls with our art!" Misty cheered and Seto chuckled. "I'm serious, the walls could use some colorful, personal touches."

"Oh so the walls are boring?" Seto retorted half teasingly.

"Well… yeah. At least if we add our art, it'll add some vibrancy and life," Misty replied seriously.

"Alright, I suppose," Seto agreed.

"You know what else we can do?"

"What?" Seto asked curiously.

"We can do a mural on one of the walls of you and the Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Misty suggested.

"Hmm, that's an idea," Seto replied as he nodded thoughtfully.

" _Easy tiger, don't let it go to your head," his inner self warned._

"Or we can do both; we can do the mural like you suggested, and on the side walls, we can do our art," Seto suggested.

"I love it! This will be fun!" Misty exclaimed eagerly. "That can be our weekend projects!" Seto smiled. He was happy that she was excited, and he was going to get some art on the walls, particularly ones that THEY made together, starting with the ones they did tonight.

"I can hardly wait," Seto told her and gave her a half smile. "But in the meantime, let's enjoy the movie together tonight."

"Right!" Misty agreed happily.

* * *

Meanwhile, on Mokuba's date…

Mokuba sat quietly at a table at the coffee shop holding a bouquet of calla lilies, wearing a red striped shirt, jeans, his tennies, and had his long, thick black hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He had called Sophia after he left the house and told her he was on the way to the coffee shop, and he wanted to know what kind of flowers she liked. Sophia had blushed crimson hearing his voice, and having him ask her what kind of flowers she liked. She RARELY got flowers. Yes, her parents sent her flowers on occasion for her birthday, but that was about it. She had told him her favorite flower was a calla lily, she was on her way too, and that she couldn't wait to see him. Mokuba had beamed brightly and had Edward stop at the florist near the coffee shop and picked up a bouquet of calla lilies for her. He mentally checked it off the list that he made when talking to Misty. He was so jittery. He hoped this date went well, and maybe get a second date and maybe a girlfriend. He watched the crowd passing by, waiting for her to come in.

Sophia was on the partially crowded bus on the way to the coffee shop, wearing a blue and white striped dress, white sandals, her brown hair in soft curly waves, her signature glasses, and wearing a pink lip gloss. She watched carefully for the stop outside the coffee shop and her stomach was fluttering wildly. This was her first date too, and she also wanted it to go well before she had to go into work as a library assistant later. She wished she didn't have to work tonight, but she didn't have much option. She then heard the mechanical voice announce the bus was approaching the stop near the coffee shop. She pulled the cord and got off the bus and straightened up. Mokuba saw her get off the bus and smiled and got up and started walking to the door. Sophia walked into the coffee shop and smiled widely as soon as she saw him standing there in front of her with a bouquet of calla lilies.

"Hi Sophia! You look pretty today!" Mokuba complimented her excitedly. "I got these for you," he told her as he handed her the bouquet. Sophia blushed a deep crimson and smiled as she took the bouquet and smelled them and smiled happily. The scent made her happy.

"Thank you, Mokuba," she replied shyly.

"You're welcome," Mokuba replied with a bit of blush of his own. Sophia chuckled slightly more out of being nervous than anything, which Mokuba mirrored. "So, would you like a drink?" he offered to break the nervous tension.

"Yes please," Sophia replied.

"What would you like?" Mokuba asked. Sophia perused the menu a moment before deciding.

"I'd like a medium French vanilla capuccino," she requested as she got in line with him.

"Alright sure," Mokuba agreed as he took a moment to browse the menu for what he was craving for. It would definitely have to be chocolate for sure. After a moment of thought, he decided on the triple chocolate mocha. "Here Sophia, I'll get the drinks, and you can go find a cozy spot for us to sit. Deal?" Mokuba offered.

"Sure," Sophia nodded with a smile and found a cozy booth in the middle of the wall where the booths were located and sat down, placing her calla lilies on the table while she watched. She felt even giddier now. Mokuba waited his turn to order and after ordering, he paid for the drinks and waited a few minutes to get them and whatever else they needed before joining her in the booth.

"Here's your French vanilla cappuccino," Mokuba told her as he gingerly placed it in front of her.

"Thank you," Sophia replied shyly and waited for him to sit down and get comfortable before contentedly sipping her drink and purring in pleasure. Mokuba smiled at how she was enjoying it and then sipped his mocha happily.

"So, are you having a nice Valentine's Day so far?" Mokuba asked to start getting the conversation rolling.

"Yes I am. Are you?" Sophia responded.

"Yeah I am. My brother and I have had a pretty busy couple days. We had to move his assistant and now girlfriend in with us last night, and we had a nice day at home for a while, and I was so excited and nervous about our date," Mokuba admitted.

"Me too; I was shaking earlier," Sophia confessed. This surprised Mokuba.

"Really? Why?" Mokuba implored curiously.

"I've never been on date before," Sophia admitted.

"Neither have I," Mokuba confessed.

"Which is shocking because you're so handsome," Sophia remarked. Mokuba blushed a bit more.

"Thank you. I've never thought about it until I met you. I usually just go to school and then to Kaiba Corp. , but now I have a little extra time since my brother hired Misty, his assistant/girlfriend," Mokuba explained.

"That sounds romantic," Sophia remarked with a shy blush. Mokuba chuckled.

"It didn't start that way," Mokuba replied as he recalled the day that changed his and Seto's life forever.

"Oh?" Sophia asked intrigued.

"She came to interview my brother for the urgent listing for an assistant, and he almost died. She saved his life, and he hung onto her hand pretty tight in the hospital. I was so relieved she saved him. I told her I wanted her to alleviate his workload and teach him to learn to leave work at a decent time so he could rest and recover, after a week. They were adamant about not getting together at first. She just wanted to do her job, but there was chemistry and a spark, and she was quite charming, and she did wonders. I noticed they liked each other and I tried to push them together. We took her in last night after she was in a fire," Mokuba recanted.

"Oh my! Is she alright?" Sophia asked with genuine concern. Misty sounded so cool the way Mokuba talked about her, it was shocking to hear that she was in a fire. Mokuba appreciated her concern.

" _She's so sweet to be concerned about Misty!" his inner self remarked excitedly._

"Yeah. She has some burns on her left side and her scalp, but she's ok, plus she agreed to be Seto's girlfriend after he asked her yesterday," Mokuba replied and finished the story. "Now, tell me more about YOU," he requested as he fixed his grey eyes on her and sipped his mocha with a smile.

"Me?" Sophia asked stunned and blushed.

"Yes. What do you like?" Mokuba asked eagerly. He wanted to know all he could about her.

"Well, I like art, music, and books, but I'm sure that last one was obvious," Sophia replied shyly. It felt nice to have someone be interested in what she liked.

"Cool. What kinds do you like?" Mokuba probed, listening intently.

"Michelangelo's works, and romance novels," Sophia answered. She felt a little embarrassed admitting that she enjoyed romance novels; she didn't like admitting it because sometimes people thought they were trashy smut novels, but she mostly enjoyed the adventures and how the main protagonist couple were so passionately in love with each other, and she'd wished she had that kind of romance.

"Cool. Do you like Duel Monsters at all?" Mokuba asked curiously. He had stored her answers away so he would remember them later, but he had to know how she felt about Duel Monsters because it was such a HUGE feature in his and Seto's lives.

"Oh I am terrible at duel monsters," Sophia replied embarrassed.

" _Oh please don't let that kill my chances with him," she begged in her thoughts._ She was afraid that he would be repulsed by that fact as talented as he and his brother were with them.

"That's ok. Misty didn't really know anything about it but we taught her. Do you like any of the monsters?" Mokuba reassured her. Sophia was relieved that it didn't matter that she wasn't good at Duel Monsters, and was impressed that he and his brother taught Misty.

"Dark Magician Girl is my favorite; she's so strong and cute," Sophia answered.

"Yes she is. If you want I can teach you," Mokuba offered exclusively to her.

"Sure I can try again," Sophia consented with a smile.

"Awesome!" Mokuba was excited to have another reason to spend time with her- teaching her how to duel too. Sophia was also excited to learn how to duel again. "So, tell me more about yourself," Mokuba prompted eagerly.

"Well, I live alone, I love the color blue, and I like to draw sometimes," Sophia answered. Mokuba was fascinated by these facts.

"Wow you live alone?" Mokuba asked. Sophia nodded. "Cool," he remarked and decided to address the other 2 points. "As far as you liking the color blue, you definitely would fit in with me, my brother, and Misty; blue is our signature color. What do you like to draw?" Mokuba asked.

"I like to draw cute things, and as far as me living alone, I have…issues with my family," Sophia responded and felt uncomfortable on the last part talking about her family.

"I'd love to see your drawings sometime, and forgive me if I seem like I'm prying, but what kind of issues?" he asked with concerned curiosity.

"I rather not talk about it, and I would gladly show you my drawings," Sophia replied glad for the distraction about the drawings. She decided to change the subject and ask about him; she was all too eager to know more about him. "What kind of things do you like?"

"Well I love video games, Duel Monsters, reading, playing chess with my brother, and hanging out with him and Misty, and I like art too," Mokuba responded.

"What kind of art?" Sophia implored eagerly.

"I like Renaissance and Van Gogh," Mokuba answered.

"Van Gogh is really good too," Sophia replied.

"Yeah. His works are really cool, and sometimes I like some of the stuff I see on Deviant Art" Mokuba replied.

"Yeah," Sophia agreed with a smile and a gleam in her jade green eyes as she sipped her cappuccino. Mokuba copied her and sipped his mocha and then it reminded him to tell her about his love of chocolate. "Oh! Another thing I love is chocolate," he added.

"Yeah. I usually have chocolate if I have a bad day, or crave it," Sophia replied.

"Yeah, you definitely can't go wrong with chocolate," Mokuba agreed, and then a serious question popped into his head. "…how often do you have bad days? Those bullies seemed intent on picking on you," Mokuba pointed out glumly. He didn't like how they picked on her yesterday; she didn't deserve it.

"I've had quite a few, but I hadn't had a white knight come and save me until now," Sophia replied smiling sweetly at him and caressed his hand. Mokuba squeezed her hand. He definitely took note of what she did, as did she.

" _She's into you!" his inner self cheered._

" _He's squeezing your hand!" her inner self crowed._

"I'll do what I can to keep you safe from those stupid buttheads," Mokuba promised. Sophia blushed wildly.

"Thank you. I don't understand. We're in high school; you'd think we'd be wise enough to not bully each other," Sophia remarked.

"Yeah. I'm glad the teachers and admins were there to help yesterday. I would've taken them on if I had to," Mokuba replied.

"So brave," Sophia complimented him. Mokuba blushed, and Sophia mirrored his blush and they sipped their drinks.

"I can't believe they're selling prom tickets already," Mokuba remarked changing the subject. Sophia was surprised.

" _Please ask!" her inner self begged desperately._

"Really?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah. They're the cheapest until the end of the month," Mokuba replied.

" _Are you doing what I think you're doing?" his inner self asked and a grin spread across his face hopefully._

"Are you going?" Sophia asked casually but she was agreeing with her inner self about him asking.

"I might now. Are you?" Mokuba asked her. Sophia blushed and felt her stomach flutter violently. "Because… I want to…ask you… to go to prom…with me…" Mokuba asked feeling suddenly shy and anxious. Sophia blushed and was so happy.

"Yes Mokuba, I would LOVE to go to prom with you," Sophia answered and a smile broke her face.

" _YES!" their inner selves screamed in delight._

"Awesome!" Mokuba exclaimed with a bright smile, his grey eyes sparkling with happiness. It was 2 for 2 for the Kaiba brothers! They both calmly finished their drinks, but inside they were freaking out with joy. "I'll get the tickets then," he promised, keeping his calm.

"Do you need any help with that?" Sophia offered. Mokuba recalled what Misty had said about not letting her pay, and was more than willing to take care of it.

"No, don't you worry about it. I'll get it," Mokuba promised. Sophia blushed again.

"Thank you," she told him.

"My pleasure, Sophia," Mokuba replied with a smile. They finished their drinks and Sophia checked her watch and sighed heavily. Not now…

"I have to go to work…" Sophia said heavily. Another bit of Misty's advice popped into his head- Offer her a ride. He was disappointed he couldn't walk around the bookstore with her, but this coffee part was a good start, for a first date.

"Would you like a ride to work?" Mokuba offered. Sophia was relieved at the offer; she didn't like having to rush to catch the bus to make it to work.

"Yes, please, thank you; I hate taking the bus," Sophia answered utterly grateful. Mokuba noticed that she also rode the bus, just like Misty used to, and thought it was kinda funny that both his and Seto's ladies both rode the bus and shared quite a few similarities.

"My pleasure. Let me just call my chauffer," Mokuba replied and got Edward on the phone.

"Hey Mokuba. I'll be there to come get you in a few minutes. I'm just running an errand getting wine for your brother and Misty, and the movie," Edward told him.

"Alright," Mokuba agreed and then hung up. "He'll be here in a few minutes. He's just running an errand for my brother and Misty," Mokuba explained.

"Okay. Thank you Mokuba," Sophia told him with a smile and a blush.

"My pleasure," Mokuba replied and held her hand. About 15 minutes later, Edward had showed up and they got up from their seats still holding hands. Sophia also carried her bouquet with her other hand, and they left the shop and approached the limo.

"Hey Edward, this is Sophia Yakamori. I was hoping we could give her a ride to her work?" Mokuba requested.

"Sure. Where do you work, Ms. Sophia?" Edward asked with a friendly smile.

"I work at the library on 1st street," Sophia answered. Edward nodded and opened the door for them. Mokuba helped her inside first and climbed in after her. Edward shut the door and got in the driver's seat and started heading towards 1st street. During the ride, Sophia found herself cuddling close to him. Mokuba freaked out inside and knew this was another sign. He brushed some hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear. Sophia smiled up at him and decided to be bold and reached up and caressed his face and kissed him gently. Mokuba was shocked by the gentle kiss, but he was excited and held her head and kissed back. He felt an electrical spark as they kissed and felt his heart racing. He couldn't believe this was actually happening! Sophia couldn't believe it either, but she was so happy and excited that he was kissing back, and there were sparks! It was like she had died and gone to Heaven. It wasn't long before they got to the library on 1st street, but they were so busy kissing, they hadn't noticed they stopped. Edward parked in front of the door and rolled the partition down and saw them kissing and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me Mokuba, Sophia, we're here at the library," Edward announced. They parted and blushed beet red.

"Thank you Edward," Mokuba replied.

"Thank you," Sophia echoed. Edward got out and opened the door for them and Mokuba let her get out first and followed after her holding her bouquet.

"Allow me to walk you to the door," Mokuba said offering his arm. Sophia immediately put her arm through the crook of his arm and leaned against him. Mokuba wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked to the door.

"I enjoyed myself with you today. I hope to do this again with you," Mokuba told her with a blush staining his cheeks.

"I enjoyed myself too, and I can't wait for the next time we can go out," Sophia replied and gave him another kiss and whispered "I'll see you at school.

"Yeah. Have a good night at work," Mokuba told her with a hug, not bothering to ask because he felt it was unnecessary at this point. He handed her the bouquet so she wouldn't forget it.

"Thank you," Sophia replied and kissed him quickly before going in and getting ready to clock in, sighing dreamily to herself. Her coworkers noticed she seemed utterly happy, and it was a nice change. She asked to put her flowers in the fridge to keep them fresh until she went home. She clocked in and felt like she was floating on cloud 10 tonight. She had a BOYFRIEND, and not just ANY boyfriend, MOKUBA KAIBA! The young man she'd admired for YEARS from a distance!

* * *

Mokuba sauntered back to the limo, also floating on cloud 10. He had a GIRLFRIEND! A smart, sweet, shy but bold girl that reminded him of a shy, quiet version of Misty. Oh he couldn't WAIT to tell Seto and Misty tonight when they got home from their date! Edward opened the door for him.

"So, Mokuba, I bet you're thrilled to have a girlfriend now," Edward remarked with a smile.

"You bet! It's incredible!" Mokuba sighed dreamily and got into the limo. He understood the connection Seto and Misty had now. Edward chuckled and shut the door. It amused him to see his young employers enjoying being smitten for the first time; it was always nice to see budding romance. He and his wife had been married at least 30 years, but they still adored each other. He got back into the driver's seat and took him home. While Mokuba waited for Seto and Misty to come home, Mokuba busied himself with playing video games and coming up with a plan for building a deck around Dark Magician Girl for Sophia. He then realized that the buses probably didn't run that late at night when she'd get out, so he went back to Edward to ask if they can pick her up later and take her home, for her safety. Edward nodded in agreement and Mokuba texted her to call him when she got off so they could get her. Sophia read the text and smiled widely. He cared about her so much to offer a ride home tonight!

"I'll call you when I get off. Thank you! It makes me nervous to ride that late at night," she replied. Mokuba smiled.

"I bet. I want to keep you safe," Mokuba responded.

"I'm so lucky to have you," she replied humbly.

"So am I. See you later," Mokuba replied.

Later, when Seto and Misty came home, he came out eagerly to greet them.

"Hey kiddo! How was your date?" Misty greeted happily and hugged him. Seto also hugged him.

"It was great! I have a girlfriend now! And she's like you! And I'm taking her to prom!" Mokuba gushed.

"That's great! How is she like me?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well, she's bold, rides the bus all the time, is independent, works hard, lives alone, and is strong, smart, well read, doesn't know much about dueling but has a signature female card, loves the color blue, but she's very shy and quiet," Mokuba described.

"Wow! Congratulations you stud you," Misty remarked teasingly and ruffled his hair. Mokuba chuckled .

"Well you had to copy me didn't you? You went got a girl just like Misty for yourself," Seto teased. Mokuba chuckled.

"You bet!" Mokuba beamed. Seto and Misty chuckled and hugged him. "How was your date?" he asked them.

"It was nice. Seto was so nervous, but relaxed after a while, and we had fun painting. We even decided that we're going to paint a mural of him and his Blue Eyes White Dragons on a wall in the living room, and each weekend he and I are going to paint some canvases together to decorate the walls and give them a personal, colorful, creative touch," Misty answered.

"Can I do it too, when I'm not with my girlfriend?" Mokuba asked.

"Of course you can!" Misty encouraged happily. "In the meantime, let's watch the movie," Misty suggested.

"Great idea! I'll get the DVD set up and Mokuba can make the popcorn and get drinks," Seto replied. Mokuba scampered off to the kitchen and got a bag of popcorn opened from its cellophane wrap and put it in the microwave and hit the proper buttons to get it popping. He then found a big bowl and got some sodas for them to sip on while Seto opened the DVD and put it in the player and got it ready to go. Misty sat on the couch smiling as she watched them, and soon they joined her on the couch with the bowl of buttered popcorn between them, and the sodas on coasters on the coffee table. They watched the movie and were completely amused by Adam Sandler's and Drew Barrymore's antics. Seto had to admit this was a pretty entertaining movie. Sure the slapstick humor was a little much, but it was still entertaining and sweet to watch. He held Misty close as they watched together.

With perfect timing, Sophia called Mokuba after the movie was finished.

"I'll be back in a bit, I arranged with Edward to go get Sophia after she got off work so she wouldn't be stuck riding the bus so late at night," Mokuba announced and called for Edward. They then left and headed to the library and saw her just waiting inside with her bouquet. Her face lit up as soon as she saw them and blushed again. Edward let Mokuba out of the limo and he hurried to the door.

"Hi," he greeted happily and offered his arm.

"Hi," Sophia greeted back and took his arm and leaned in close, savoring his scent and kissed him lightly. Mokuba smiled and kissed back and walked her back to the limo and helped her in and got in after her. Edward got the address of where she lived and closed the door and got in the driver's seat.

"How was work?" Mokuba asked caressing her face.

"It was alright, but kinda boring. Thank you so much for coming to get me this late. I really appreciate it," she told him and leaned in close.

"My pleasure, and it was my promise to keep you safe. I'd be nervous riding the bus at night alone too," he admitted. Sophia smiled and cuddled close, feeling safe in his arms. They sat together in each other's arms contently and they kissed again until they got to her apartment. Edward once again had to interrupt them to let her out. Mokuba walked her to her door. "Well, my sweet Sophia, goodnight," he bade and felt uncomfortable. He was going to have to leave her again and he didn't like it.

"Goodnight. Thank you again, my knight in shining armor Mokuba," she replied with another deep blush and kissed him again. Mokuba kissed back and parted reluctantly and watched as she unlocked the door and went inside and then shut the door behind her and locked it. She sighed dreamily as she floated through her apartment. Mokuba sighed too and went back to the limo and got in.

"Thank you Edward," Mokuba thanked him as he got settled.

"Anytime Mokuba," Edward replied and took him home. He saw Seto and Misty head up the stairs with their fingers laced.

"Goodnight Seto, Goodnight Misty!" he called up the stairs.

"Goodnight Mokuba!" they called back in tandem. Mokuba went up the stairs and went to his room to relax. Outside, Seto shyly planted a kiss on Misty's lips.

"Goodnight Misty," Seto bade awkwardly.

"Goodnight Seto," Misty bade back with a smile. "You did great tonight," she complimented him. Seto swelled with pride.

"Thank you. Sweet dreams," he bade. Misty smiled and gave him another light kiss.

"You too," she bade and went into her room, shut the door, put the wig on its stand, and then changed for bed. Once she had changed, she sighed and plopped down in her soft bed with a happy smile on her face as she curled under the covers. Seto went into his room, shut the door, changed, and also plopped on his luxuriously plush bed and thought about everything that happened today. Today was the BEST Valentine's Day he and Mokuba had EVER had, and they looked forward to more like it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading ch. 9. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. Reviews= New chapters.

If you are interested in checking out which new chapters I have completed and are on embargo (hold), please check my profile.


	10. Bully Beatdown

**A/N:** Thank you to my loyal patron james. collins. 77770, MariaFeline, NA6289, and gothicprincess982 for your reviews for ch. 9! I'm so glad y'all are enjoying it!

As a reward for their reviews and patience, here is a belated Valentine's gift from me to y'all! Ch.10! (Also Happy (belated) President's Day!)

Just a heads up, I am in school, so that is also contributing to why I haven't updated as much, plus the chapters are longer. So just bear with me. Also, don't forget to review! NEW, Fresh Reviews= guaranteed immediate release of new chapters as soon as I am done writing them.

I also want to thank Dark-Kokoro for her assistance with her created character Sophia.

Enjoy! ✩

* * *

 _Three Weeks Later…_

Seto and Misty, and Mokuba and Sophia had gotten closer and more affectionate; Misty was healing well with her prescription burn cream and top quality scar cream; and had started growing ½" in. long, wavy, sparse and fuzzy, dark chocolate brown hair, with a few tinsel silver strands here and there.

Mokuba had stayed close to Sophia as much as possible, and even convinced Seto to give him his own limo and chauffer to make it easier on Edward. Mokuba had made arrangements with his chauffer, Hari, to take him and Sophia to and from school, take her to work, and pick her up after work. He was keeping his promise keeping her safe, and Sophia was ever-grateful that she didn't have to worry so much about transportation and her safety, and she loved spending every moment she could with Mokuba, her knight in shining armor.

One Friday, after class before lunch, Mokuba was walking and talking with her on the way to their lockers so they could change their books and supplies for their classes after lunch. (Using the famous Kaiba power, he had their assigned lockers moved close together to keep her safe and close.) They got their books and supplies and walked towards the cafeteria. They passed by the restrooms and Mokuba put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"I'll be right back sweetie. Will you wait for me outside?" he asked gently.

"Of course honey," Sophia replied and gave him a quick kiss with a faint blush. Mokuba smiled into the kiss and disappeared into the restroom while Sophia waited outside. He would be just a couple minutes and figured she would be safe for that long.

While he was inside the restroom, the bullies that had been picking on her before he came to her rescue had approached. "Hey Yakamori. Where's your bodyguard?" the idiot bullies asked with a sneer as they approached and took her bag and threw it down.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" Sophia commanded, feeling anxious that Mokuba was still in the bathroom. Mokuba was hearing them and was trying to hurry so he could defend her. The bullies just laughed as they made a mess of her things. "STOP!" Sophia exclaimed feeling helpless.

"Or what?" they sneered and grabbed her purse. "Where's the money you owe us?" they asked as they yanked the purse away and dug through it and knocked her to the ground. Mokuba finished and cleaned up quickly and came outside and saw her on the ground feeling helpless while they dug through her stuff.

"She doesn't owe you anything! NOW PICK EVERYTHING UP AND GIVE IT BACK TO HER!" Mokuba snarled as he stood in front of her. The bullies laughed and continued to ignore him. "YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Mokuba snarled and then started punching them angrily. The bullies were shocked at this sudden force of strength that came from Mokuba. Mokuba had no idea how strong he was as he pummeled them; he was just so angry they disrespected her like that, and they waited for her to be left alone for the tiniest bit of time!

"Mokuba! Stop! You'll kill them!" Sophia shrieked as she watched utterly shocked as she scrambled to her feet. Mokuba stopped when he heard her panicked voice. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, hoping to bring him back to reality.

"Sophia?" he asked snapping back to the present moment. Sophia hugged him trembling. Mokuba hugged her back and then the teachers and an administrator came up and saw the mess.

"Mokuba Kaiba! You did this?!" they asked shocked as they saw the bullies beaten to an unconscious bloody pulp. Before he even had a chance to answer, they ordered him and Sophia to the office after they cleaned up her things. Mokuba let go of Sophia, gingerly helped her pick up her things from the floor, helped her get everything situated in her purse and backpack, and then held her close as they walked to the office. He figured he was going to be in big trouble when he got home, but he didn't care about that right now; he protected his lady and that's all that mattered.

"I got you," he whispered reassuringly in her ear. Sophia nodded, placated by his words. When they got to the vice principal, Mr. Nobora's, office, Mokuba sat as close as he could, squeezing her hand, with their bags underneath the chairs. Sophia was trembling wildly, terrified that Mokuba was going to be punished severely for standing up for her, and the fact that her safety would be in jeopardy if he wasn't at school. Mokuba sighed heavily.

"This sucks…" he complained.

"I know babe, but thank you for standing up for me like that; I was so scared," she thanked him softly.

"Of course sweetie," Mokuba replied softly as he rubbed her bicep gently as he held her and gave her a soft and brief kiss. He didn't reveal that he was nervous about what Seto would have to say about this, but he was going to stand firm knowing he did the right thing.

"They're nothing but loser cowards; they waited until we were separated before attacking you. Only someone cowardly picks on a woman like that," Mokuba remarked bitterly.

"Mokuba, I think we might have to go to another school…" Sophia replied. Mokuba pursed his lips a little knowing she had a pretty good point, but it was their senior year, so it might be difficult to transfer.

"I don't know how well that might work out… this is our senior year… it might be difficult to transfer everything," Mokuba pointed out. Sophia realized he also had a point and sighed heavily. "I know honey, but we just have to endure for a few more months. Maybe this time they will expel those stupid bullies… I might have to get Misty and Seto to help with that," Mokuba added. Sophia nodded hesitantly, but she trusted Mokuba with every fiber of her being. The teachers that had been in the hallway and Mr. Nobora then appeared in Mr. Nobora's office.

"Mokuba Kaiba we are surprised at you! You're such an upstanding student and then you assault some boys! What has gotten into you?!"

"You want to know what got into me? How about rage that they dared to attack my girlfriend the moment I left her side to use the restroom? This wouldn't have happened if those cowardly losers just left her alone! Those cowardly losers need to be expelled! They keep attacking her and I'm sick of it!" Mokuba shot back, his grey eyes glaring at the teachers and Mr. Nobora with the signature, icy Kaiba stare.

"We will deal with them shortly, but in the meantime, you are hereby suspended," the teachers and Mr. Nobora retorted authoritatively.

"No, suspend me, it was my fault," Sophia bravely spoke up. She really didn't want him to get in trouble, and if he was out of school, she would be an open target.

"Why would we suspend you? You didn't do anything wrong," Mr. Nobora replied confused.

"I…should have called for help or something… please don't punish him," she begged.

"I'm sorry Ms. Yakamori, we have to discipline him. We do not tolerate fighting on school property," they countered firmly.

"Then I will be suspended with him," Sophia declared. The teachers, Mr. Nobora were surprised, but Mokuba was not.

"Should you really be surprised? She CLEARLY doesn't feel safe by herself and all because you won't deal with the bullies properly," Mokuba retorted.

"Very well… but we will have to call your brother," Mr. Nobora told him.

"I'd rather you call his assistant, Misty," Mokuba replied and gave them Misty's number. Mr. Nobora sighed and agreed.

"Very well. Stay here," Mr. Nobora commanded and left the office with the teachers to make the calls to Misty and the other boys' parents.

"Do you think Misty will go easier on you?" Sophia asked Mokuba.

"I'd say so," Mokuba replied confidently.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Kaiba Corp, Misty was busy doing her filing while listening to her iPod, softly singing along to the music, which currently was Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine", while Seto was working on a report, and was listening to his fiery sweetheart's soft singing and smiling inwardly. She was like his own personal canary, and she wasn't half bad of a singer. Sometimes she was amusing when she was jamming out to her wide variety of music. He was curious when she seemed to pause the music after "Bad Medicine" was over to take a call. Misty looked at her cellphone to see who was calling her and was surprised the school was calling.

"Hello?" she answered in a curious, melodic tone.

"Is this Misty, Mr. Kaiba's assistant?" Mr. Nobora asked.

"Yes, this is she," Misty answered and wondered why the school was calling for her specifically. "What can I do for you?" she offered to ascertain why they were calling.

"We have Mokuba Kaiba here in the office and he specifically requested we call you," Mr. Nobora told her. Misty was now on alert.

"Is he alright? What happened?" she asked alarmed.

"He's fine, but we need you or Mr. Kaiba to come down to the school and talk with us. Mokuba was fighting other boys here on campus," Mr. Nobora explained.

"…What?" Misty asked stunned, almost dropping her phone. That was not like the Mokuba she knew to be fighting on school property.

"Yes, we are very surprised ourselves. Could you please hurry over?"

"Sure, I'm on my way," Misty promised and hung up the phone and walked over to Seto's desk.

"Yes Misty?" Seto asked as he looked up and saw her at his desk and smiled, his sapphire eyes glittering warmly at her like the sea.

"Hey. I just wanted to let you know I need to go to Mokuba's school. He got into a fight at school," she announced.

"A fight?!" Seto exclaimed alarmed. "Is he okay?" he demanded, instantly going into protective paternal mode and got up from his chair.

"He's fine. I'll go handle it. You stay here and work on your report. I've got this," Misty assured him and gave him a soft kiss, hoping to calm him down a little. Seto reluctantly took a moment to calm down with the kiss, and decided to trust her with handling this issue because he was on a tight deadline to get this report taken care of, and the fact that they called her specifically. "I've got this," Misty repeated reassuringly.

"Alright, but I definitely want to have a conversation with him when I get home," Seto insisted.

"And you will. I'll see you later," Misty promised and gave him another quick peck before punching out and signing out of the computer she used. "I fully expect you to be out on time," she told Seto as she gathered her things.

"I will," he promised holding up three fingers in a scout's honor gesture. Misty nodded satisfied and smiled and then called Hari to take her to the school. Hari was a little surprised to be having to pick Misty up and take her to the school, at this time, but he came and got her and took her to the school.

"What happened, Misty?" Hari asked.

"Mokuba got in a fight at school, so I'm coming to talk with the teachers and vice principal, Mr. Nobora," Misty answered.

"What? Mokuba? HE got in a fight?" Hari remarked stunned.

"I know. My thoughts exactly," Misty agreed.

"I hope everything is okay with him, and I hope the meeting with Mr. Nobora goes well," Hari replied.

"Yeah, me too," Misty agreed as they arrived at the school and Hari parked and came out and let her out. "Thank you Hari," she thanked him.

"You're welcome Misty. I'll be waiting here," Hari assured her and went to park the limo. Misty then started walking into the office and had some people staring aghast at her, but she didn't care. She walked through the office door, signed the visitor log, and got a visitor badge. The office assistant let Mr. Nobora know that Misty was there, and soon Mr. Nobora had come out.

"Ms. Robinson, thank you for coming so quickly," Mr. Nobora greeted and was stunned by her still slightly puckered skin and her light fuzz on her head.

"Yeah, sure," Misty replied, feeling awkward with him staring a bit. "So, where is he?" she asked.

"Right this way," Mr. Nobora replied and led her to his office where Mokuba was sitting holding Sophia close, and on the other side of the room were the other boys' parents.

"Are you his mother?!" the mothers of the boys demanded as they saw her walk in with Mr. Nobora, and also were a little stunned seeing the burns and her fuzz. Misty glared at them, her chocolate eyes simmering with a hint of a fire.

"Close enough," Misty retorted and sat beside Mokuba. "So, what happened?"

"That little punk attacked our sweet boys!" one of the mothers accused. Misty raised an eyebrow at them, and rested her left cheek and chin between her index finger and thumb on her left hand and was stone faced.

"Mokuba, what happened?" Misty asked as she turned to face Mokuba and the girl. So, this must be the famous Sophia he raved about all the time. Misty noticed she was a shy and lovely young woman.

"Sophia and I had stopped at our lockers to get our books for the latter half of the day after lunch, and I stopped to use the restroom for a few minutes, and she waited outside for me," Mokuba began.

"And while I was waiting, they came up to me and knocked my book bag down, and said 'Hey Yakamori, where's your bodyguard?' They were referring to Mokuba. And then I told them to leave me alone and to stop, but they sneered and made a mess of things. Then they tried to take my purse and asked 'where's the $40 I owe them?' I didn't owe them anything. And then they pushed me down while they went through my purse. Then Mokuba came out and told them 'she doesn't owe you anything! Now pick everything up and give it back to her!' then they ignored him and Mokuba said 'you asked for it!' and started beating them. I was so scared watching," Sophia added.

"That's right. I had heard them in the bathroom and was trying to hurry and finish and I got so mad that they waited for me to leave her side for even just a couple minutes to attack her like that," Mokuba added. "I'm so tired of them bullying her all the time. I was just protecting her."

"I can imagine. That makes much more sense to me," Misty nodded thoughtfully as she listened to their story. Defending his lady sounded MUCH more like the Mokuba she knew.

"See? Even he admitted he attacked them! I demand a formal apology from him!" the mothers exclaimed. Misty snickered derisively.

"Noooo," Misty replied emphatically with a sneer.

"Why not? You heard it yourself! He attacked our sons!" one of the mothers demanded.

"Why should he? He was protecting his girlfriend from those punk ass bitch lowlife cowards who attacked HER when Mokuba went to the restroom! Y'all must be SOOO proud to have raised abusive sons who get a kick out of picking on a meek girl like Sophia ALL the time," Misty shot back as her chocolate eyes blazed a little more. The parents were stunned silent at Misty's razor-sharp words. There was an agonizing pause as the words cut deep, like diamond on metal, leaving painfully sharp shavings. "They deserve to be expelled for their abusive habits. Because of them, Sophia fears for her overall safety while alone here at school, where it should be a SAFE learning environment for ALL," Misty hissed.

"They will be suspended," Mr. Nobora assured her.

"That's not good enough!" Misty snarled.

"It's the best we can do," Mr. Nobora lamely replied.

"Bullshit!" Misty snarled. "THE FACT IS THEY'VE CONTINUOUSLY ABUSED HER FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG AND THEY NEVER LEARN! SHE HAS SUFFERED THIS EMOTIONAL ABUSE LONG ENOUGH! WHEN YOU SAY 'SUSPENSION IS THE BEST YOU CAN DO' BULLSHIT, YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY SAYING 'WE CONDONE BULLYING AND ABUSE! THE MOST PUNISHMENT YOU'LL GET IS SUSPENSION!' NO! YOU WILL TAKE A STAND SHOWING THAT BULLYING IS ABSOLUTELY NOT TOLERATED AND EXPEL THEM! IF NOT, I WILL PRESS CHARGES ON ALL OF THEM AND THE SCHOOL!" Misty snarled viciously.

"What?!" Mr. Nobora, the parents of the boys, and the boys themselves exclaimed shocked.

"You heard me. I. WILL. Press. Abuse. Charges," Misty repeated with air of arctic frigidity. "You're dealing with a Kaiba here, and Kaibas do NOT tolerate any form of disrespect or abuse!"

"That's right!" Mokuba chimed in. He had to admit, he was a little scared of Misty's forcefulness right now, but thought it was incredible.

"Take your pick! Expulsion or Criminal Charges!" Misty hissed.

"Fine, they're expelled!" Mr. Nobora declared.

"Good," Misty nodded satisfied. The boys and their parents were stunned.

"…Where will they go to school?" The parents asked.

"To the alternative school," Mr. Nobora replied.

"…But this is their senior year!" the parents protested.

"I. DO. NOT. CARE." Misty hissed icily. "They made their choice to bully and abuse a GIRL, and now they have to live with it, as do you since your 'precious babies' are a reflection of YOU." The parents yanked their beaten, bully sons out of the office in tears as they went to take care of their paperwork.

"Does a suspension work for Mokuba?" Mr. Nobora asked Misty with a heavy sigh.

"Yes, a suspension is fine, for a week," Misty replied with a calmness.

" _Where was that calmness a moment ago?" Mr. Nobora thought._

"And Sophia will join him, as she proposed," Misty added.

"Fine, but why? You got those boys expelled," Mr. Nobora asked.

"One, solidarity. Two, there could be other bullies," Misty reasoned. Mr. Nobora sighed.

"Alright, deal," Mr. Nobora agreed.

"Thank you," Misty replied with a grateful smile and got up, gathering her things. "Alright, Mokuba, Sophia, let's go." Mokuba helped Sophia to her feet and got her things, held her hand and walked with her to the limo, following Misty.

"Wow…Misty… that was utterly incredible. Thank you," Mokuba remarked. Hari saw them coming and opened the door for them.

"You're welcome kiddo. You know I've got your back," Misty replied nonchalantly. Mokuba smiled and hugged her. Misty smiled and hugged him back and then turned to Sophia.

"Thank you Misty," Sophia piped up shyly.

"My pleasure, Sophia. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you. Mokuba raves about you all the time to his brother and me," Misty replied cordially as she let go of Mokuba and shook her hand.

"Likewise. Mokuba raves about you and Mr. Kaiba all the time too," Sophia replied as she started to warm up a little more around Misty. She was also impressed by the strength of her handshake. "Wow, you have a strong handshake!" Sophia remarked.

"Thank you. A strong person needs a strong handshake," Misty responded with a warm smile. Sophia nodded in agreement. Mokuba helped her inside, and waited for Misty to get inside the limo before climbing in and sitting beside Sophia again. Misty thanked him for his gentlemanly manners and Hari too. Hari nodded, shut the door, and got into the driver's seat.

"Are y'all hungry? Sophia? Do you have to work tonight?" Misty asked.

"Thankfully I'm off tonight, and I am starving," Sophia answered. As if on cue, both her and Mokuba's stomachs snarled viciously.

"We didn't get a chance to eat…" Mokuba told Misty sheepishly.

"I figured as much." Misty then requested Hari take them to get some dinner.

"What are they hungry for?" Hari inquired. Misty looked back at Mokuba and Sophia.

"What would y'all like to eat?" Misty asked.

"I'm craving Mexican food… if that's okay…" Sophia piped up shyly.

"Sure! That sounds good!" Misty agreed as she told Hari to take them to a Mexican restaurant.

"Yes ma'am," Hari acknowledged and started going to the nearest Mexican restaurant.

"If only they had more authentic Mexican food," Misty sighed. That was one thing she missed about home.

"Did you have authentic Mexican food back in San Antonio, Texas? Mokuba's told me about where you're from," Sophia inquired.

"Oh honey, of COURSE I did. On any given corner, you could find a Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant and enjoy it. I also had a great-grandma from Mexico who liked to cook, and she taught my grandma to make Mexican food. Tacos were acceptable at any time of the day, and restaurants would give you complimentary chips, salsa, and queso too. It's one thing I miss about Texas," Misty explained and sighed.

"Do you think you can make authentic Mexican or Tex-Mex food for us sometime?" Mokuba requested. Misty smiled.

"I'd like that. Rosa can help me too, so she can learn. I expect it to have it more often now," Misty answered with an excited smile. Mokuba and Sophia mirrored her excitement.

"I can't wait! I definitely want to be there to taste it!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Oh honey, you certainly will," Misty promised. Sophia and Mokuba beamed. "But in the meantime, let's get the stand-in Mexican food from the restaurant, and let me call Rosa to let her know that she can take the night off for making dinner," Misty added as she pulled out her phone and called Rosa to let her know they were getting Mexican food. Thankfully, Rosa hadn't started. Misty also had a text from a worried Seto asking what was going on. She texted back "Mokuba and Sophia are suspended for a week, and the other boys I got expelled. Mokuba and Sophia were on their way to lunch when Mokuba went to use the restroom while Sophia waited outside. While he was inside, he heard the bullies come up and harass and attack Sophia. He finished as quickly as he could, saw her on the ground, and the bullies making a mess of her bag and purse. He gave them a brief warning and then started beating the ever-living shit out of them. These bullies are the same ones who had been harassing her for the longest time. Mokuba was simply protecting his sweetheart. I was not about to let them get away with the disrespect they showed Sophia and Mokuba."

"Were you texting Seto?" Mokuba asked Misty as he had watched her texting after calling Rosa.

"Yes," Misty answered. Mokuba was nervous. He knew he was likely going to get a lecture from Seto later.

"…What did he say?" Mokuba asked anxiously.

"He was worried about what happened, so I told him. We'll see what he says in a moment or two," Misty told him and pat his shoulder. He squeezed Sophia's hand with one hand, and his other hand squeezed Misty's. Both Misty and Sophia squeezed back sensing his anxiety.

"Babe it's going to be okay," Sophia reassured him and gave him a kiss.

"She's right. I'll try to act as a buffer later. In the meantime let's just worry about dinner," Misty reassured him. Mokuba nodded and they picked up some dinner.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Seto was utterly anxious to know what had happened. He couldn't concentrate on his work until he knew what had happened. The few minutes it took for Misty to reply to his text felt like hours until he heard the familiar dinging of his text message alert. He snatched his phone up to read the text message. His cobalt eyes were wide reading it. He was a little proud of his baby brother standing up for his sweetheart, but was a bit incensed that he was in trouble. At least it was only for a week, and Mokuba was miles ahead of his classmates anyways, so he wasn't missing anything; however, he shouldn't have been punished. He was glad that Misty had taken care of it and got the bullies expelled. He was pensive for a few minutes while he figured out how to reply and what to say to Mokuba later. He simply texted back "When I get home, I want to have a conversation with him about today."

He found it difficult to keep concentrating on the report, even though he knew he had to finish it soon. He sighed and figured he could come back to it later. Right now, he needed to go into "paternal mode."

* * *

Back in the limo…

Misty heard the dinging alert of a new text message and read the message. "He says that when he gets home, he wants to have a conversation with you about today," Misty read to Mokuba. Mokuba nodded solemnly while she typed "Ok. BTW, we're having Mexican food for dinner. We picked up some enchiladas for you."

A little while later, they had come to the mansion and were sitting in the kitchen nook eating their dinner.

"This isn't bad," Misty remarked as they ate.

"Yeah, but I'm sure the real stuff is better," Sophia replied. Misty smiled and nodded.

"That I won't argue with," Misty agreed with a chuckle. Sophia and Mokuba also chuckled and continued eating. They then heard the front door open and the servants greeted him. Mokuba got a bit anxious and felt like a puppy putting its tail between its legs. Sophia squeezed his hand to calm his nerves. Seto put his stuff down and came into the kitchen and saw them eating.

"Hey babe," Misty greeted.

"Hi Seto…" Mokuba greeted a little anxiously. He was not looking forward to the conversation about to happen.

"Hello Mr. Kaiba. It's a pleasure to meet you," Sophia spoke up with a friendly smiled and offered her hand. Seto turned to her and gave her a friendly smile and shook her hand.

"Likewise," Seto replied.

"Babe, you want to eat first before having the conversation with Mokuba?" Misty suggested as she gestured to the food they had saved for him.

"Yeah, that sounds great," Seto answered. Just after he said that, his stomach rumbled. "Easy tiger, you will get your food soon enough," Misty said more in reference to Seto's hungry belly, and to break the tension in the air a bit. Seto gave an amused snort and Mokuba and Sophia chuckled a little as Misty got up and warmed up Seto's food in the microwave and put the food in front of Seto before sitting back down beside him.

"Thanks Misty," Seto thanked her with a smile.

"My pleasure, hun," Misty replied mirroring his smile. "So, did you get any more work done?" Misty asked as she focused her attention on Seto.

"Not as much as I hoped… "Seto admitted. Mokuba sank a little in his spot.

"How far did you get?" Misty inquired between bites, doing her best to buffer the tension between Seto and Mokuba. Poor Sophia felt awkward and unsure of what to do to help Mokuba calm down. She was grateful for Misty's efforts to keep the conversation about his work, for now.

"I got about a page done, if that," Seto answered nonchalantly. "I had a hard time focusing on it hearing about the fight."

"Well, at least you can work on it tomorrow," Misty pointed out gently. Seto was about to suggest that he work on his report tonight after having the conversation about the fight with Mokuba, but Misty knew what was on his mind, for she raised a stern finger at him and gave him a hard look with her chocolate brown eyes as if to say "No! Don't even think about it!" The suggestion died on Seto's tongue before he could utter the words; he had made a promise after all… no work at home. Plus, he wasn't sure if he could concentrate anyways…

"Yeah," Seto simply agreed and bit into his warm food, some chicken enchiladas with Spanish rice and beans. "This is pretty good," Seto remarked between bites.

"It's alright. It's a stand-in, for now, until you get some REAL Mexican and Tex-Mex food," Misty declared. Mokuba and Sophia chuckled as the déjà vu conversation had returned.

"Oh really?" Seto asked with an amused smirk.

"Yes really. In fact, I'll be teaching Rosa how we make food like this back home, so we can enjoy it in the meantime until we all go to San Antonio," Misty declared, relieved to have gotten the conversation back on the food.

"Well, I look forward to tasting REAL Mexican and Tex-Mex food then," Seto replied. Misty nodded and they finished eating after about 15 minutes. She started to clean up their dinner mess, when Mokuba and Sophia offered to take over.

"Alright, sure," Misty conceded. She realized they were trying to somewhat atone for what happened earlier, or delay the inevitable. Seto also noticed this, and waited for them to finish before leading them to the living room. Misty squeezed Seto's hand, to kind of act as a lightning rod to draw and buffer some of the strong, possibly angry energy away for this to be a productive conversation.

Mokuba and Sophia sat down on the couch, and held hands. Seto took a big, deep breath.

"Mokuba, I know that you were trying to protect Sophia, but you can't be fighting in school," Seto began.

"I know that, Seto, but what would you have me do? Leave her there as she was getting attacked to go find help? How cowardly is that? There was NO option but to beat them to a pulp! I tried everything else! They weren't going to respond to peace but to force! You didn't complain when Misty beat the crap out of Wheeler when he insulted you and called her a whore! Getting suspended was totally worth it if I could help get them to stop! Misty did the other half and got them expelled! I don't regret it! I did the right thing!" Mokuba shot back. Seto was surprised by the tenacity of his brother's response, and he raised some pretty valid points.

"Misty, a little help please?" Seto requested.

"For what? He's right you know. He does know that he shouldn't be fighting, but bullies don't care and don't stop, so he did what he had to do to make sure his lady was safe. If he left the scene, who knows what would have happened, aside from him getting branded a coward who couldn't even protect his girlfriend? You did tell me that if I had gotten in trouble and went to jail after beating up that punk Wheeler, you would've bailed me out and helped me. If I was in any other trouble, or if Mokuba was, you wouldn't hesitate to fight to protect us too, consequences be damned. He is owning his punishment, which is also commendable," Misty pointed out. Seto sighed exasperated. He was trying to use his "paternal mode" effectively, but was flailing.

"I do have to discipline him somehow…" Seto said.

"He's already being disciplined enough with the suspension," Misty countered. "If you do that, it's only going to confuse him. It's like 'you did the right thing, but you're going to be punished for it regardless.' What's the point of doing the right thing if you're going to get punished for it?"

"Yeah! Mokuba and Sophia agreed.

"You can do your 'dad mode' on another issue that arises, if they do something really bad, but not this," Misty added to placate him. Seto growled and sighed in exasperation and stormed off to go cool down.

"Thank you Misty," Mokuba said as he got up and hugged her.

"You're welcome kiddo," Misty replied as she hugged back. Mokuba sighed as a tidal wave of relief washed over him. Sophia was also relieved, but she was still worried news about her suspension would get back to her parents.

There was an alert on Sophia's phone, so she unlocked her phone, showing a picture of herself and Mokuba in a cute hug pose as her lockscreen, and checked the notification bar. She was tagged in a post on Facebook by a classmate.

"What is it baby?" Mokuba asked.

"Oh, I got a notification that I was tagged in something," Sophia replied and checked the post in which she was tagged and she gasped; it was a bullying post dedicated to shaming her, started by three embittered young women who happened to be dating the boys that had been expelled. The words were vicious and cut like a diamond sharp sword.

 _"Thanks to that weak little bitch, my Kenshiro is now expelled and sent to go to alternative school with all the other low-life scum,"_ one of the girlfriends remarked. The other girlfriends of the other bullies shared the same sentiments.

 _"And Mokuba Kaiba, the hoity-toity younger Kaiba didn't get sent to alternative school, for beating the shit out of them. Gee, I wonder why…"_ another horrible student agreed.

 _"Yeah 'you don't mess with a Kaiba' apparently, or anyone associated with them. I also heard that Kaiba brat's mom was the one who demanded the expulsion, and she looked like an ugly, scary demon woman with a sparse bit of hair on her bald head and burns on the left side of her body. She should've stayed in that fire,"_ one of the girlfriends piped up.

 _"Let's get back to dissing that weak bitch,"_ another student wrote. _"I know she's reading all this, she was tagged in this post. Hey Yakamori! How's it feel to be one of the most hated weaklings? You, Mokuba, and that demon mom of his are nothing but pure shit,"_ another student wrote, addressing her directly. The other students in the post agreed and wrote _"LOL!"_

 _"I heard she got suspended too, even though she got pushed down like a weak little bitch, and didn't do anything."_

 _"Yeah, because she's a cowardly pussy that is too weak to defend herself, and was afraid that she would get picked on worse without her bodyguard."_

 _"Hey losers! Lay off of her and Mokuba! They didn't do anything wrong! If your idiot friends/boyfriends hadn't been bullying her in the first place, they wouldn't have gotten expelled! And they were the ones who WAITED for her to be alone to beat on her! If they weren't afraid to beat on her, what makes you think they wouldn't beat on you too if things didn't go their way? They're a domestic violence case waiting to be opened! At least Mokuba stood up to them!"_ one of Sophia's classmate friends stuck up for them, but then got attacked for it. At least their friend had some barbs to dish out. Sophia started to hyperventilate and cry reading all of this, especially when they were saying _"that she didn't deserve to be alive because she was a waste of space."_ Mokuba saw her crying and immediately took the phone to see why, and was shocked at the horrible words. He held her close and seethed and felt angry tears.

"What's going on?" Misty asked as she saw their tears and went into full "mama-bear mode." Mokuba showed her the words, and Misty got her demon face on.

"I'll be right back," Misty said in a demon voice as she went to go find Seto. Of course, he was in his office. Immediately, his cobalt blue eyes peered up from the white glow of his laptop, from a game, and he smiled for a moment seeing her come in, but it was replaced with concern and a nervous feeling as he saw her demon-angry face and heard her panting.

"What's wrong?" Seto asked. Misty strode into the office and showed him the hideous posts.

"Look what these little bitches are saying about Sophia and Mokuba," Misty hissed. She was struggling to stay calm and cool. Seto's jaw went slack as he read the posts.

"What should we do?" He asked her. He could see the cogs in her head turning through her blazing chocolate eyes. This kind of bullying was sort of new territory for him.

"First off, we take screenshots of this shit. Second, we report them and contact their parents. Thirdly, we call the police and the lawyers. Fourthly, we create a virus for the ones posting the negative shit who access this particular URL that will destroy their computer and/ or phones, and tag their IP addresses as a blacklist kind of IP address," Misty declared. "I will also join the conversation, report them, and contact their parents and the authorities. You can contact the lawyers and create the virus for the ones posting the negative crap. Deal?"

"Deal! I'm on it!" Seto declared and opened his program creator to work on a virus that would do as Misty suggested. He was angry and was in "papa bear mode." Misty went downstairs and handed Sophia back her phone.

"Don't y'all worry. Seto and I are on it and will make them pay," Misty assured them and hugged them.

"Thank you Misty!" Sophia exclaimed still crying as she hugged her.

"Thank you Misty," Mokuba echoed as he hugged her too.

"You're welcome. Now Sophia, I'm going to add you on Facebook and I want you to accept me so I can access that thread, ok?" Misty instructed. Sophia nodded and Misty got on her computer and sent the request. Immediately, Sophia accepted her request, and Misty found the thread. She took screenshots and saved them to an empty flash drive. She then found the comment box and started typing:

 _"Congratulations! You all just won an all-expense paid in SHAME trip to prison and/or alternative school! You will be escorted on your trip to jail/alternative school from a police officer who will be arriving at your doors soon! Not only that, but you will also be escorted to the courthouse where you can show a justice of the peace the contents of this conversation, and be sued out the wazoo by not one, not two, but a WHOLE TEAM of highly skilled lawyers! Additionally, you all get to tell your families exactly what you did to cause them to lose their children to the penal system and to lose their money trying to defend you in court! And the fun doesn't stop there! Your profiles will be shut down, your IP and network addresses will be blacklisted to prevent you from staying online, and your computers/phones will become infected if you continue to post bad stuff about Sophia and Mokuba! I am currently opening up a group message to all your parents to alert them of everything you just won right now. You either apologize to Sophia and Mokuba PROFUSELY and BEG THEIR FORGIVENESS and delete this conversation, or you're going to have a LOT of explaining to do for your families!"_ Misty posted. There was a collective gasp in each of the cyber bullies' houses as they read that post.

 _"Who are you, bitch?"_ the girlfriends asked.

 _"Y'all called me 'the demon mom'?"_ Misty replied.

 _"OH MY GOD! IT'S THE DEMON MAMA!"_ some of the others posted after they read that.

 _"You better fucking believe it! You haven't even BEGUN to see the demonic rage I can unleash!"_ Misty replied. _"Like you said yourselves, 'you don't mess with the Kaibas, or ANYONE they associate with!' I was HAPPY to send those punks to alternative school for bullying, and I'll be more than happy to send you there to join them!"_

 _"You don't scare us, you demon mama bitch,"_ the girlfriends replied. Misty posted an image of the Wednesday Addams creepy smile from Addams Family Values.

 _"Have fun explaining your infinite SHAME to your families!"_ Misty posted and saved the new screenshots and found their parents and messaged them. She first introduced herself and told them what happened and showed them the evidence and the actions she was prepared to take. The parents were horrified and begged her not to take such actions, that they would punish their children.

 _"Sorry, bullying both physical and cyber is a SERIOUS crime NOT to be taken lightly! You can thank your children for the atom bomb of shame they just activated. Make sure your virus programs are updated. This is the most effective punishment since they don't seem to take your punishments seriously. Sorry. You can expect police and lawyers to be contacting you shortly."_ Misty replied. Naturally the parents were upset and angry.

 _"YOU REALLY ARE A DEMON MOM!"_ the parents accused her.

 _"You really think that affects me?"_ Misty replied. _"I was kind enough to give you warning. Brace yourselves,"_ Misty replied and saved the conversation and showed the punk bullies in the comment thread that she talked to their parents.

She added, _"Pay attention to what I am about to say to you for future reference: Your opinions are NOT valid if they are not constructive or helpful in ANY way, or are demeaning/insulting. If you don't have the balls to say anything to someone's face, you have NO business saying it online. Your freedom of speech ends when you insult someone and tell them to harm themselves or worse. You DO NOT have the right to project your sucky inferiority complexes on someone who works hard doing their own thing, or lives, which you know NOTHING about. Would you honestly tell that demeaning crap to someone you actually love/care about? Then why would you stoop to cowardice and insult someone you really don't know? You are in NO place to judge or belittle anyone! You have sins of your own you need to worry about fixing first. How you treat someone is exactly how you will be served in return. You treat people well, you will get positive things your way 10 fold. If you treat them like shit, you will be given shit 10 fold. See y'all in court!"_ she bade, saved the screenshot, and waved Sophia and Mokuba over to see exactly what she said. Mokuba's grey eyes and Sophia's green eyes scanned the conversations quickly and they were amazed at how she handled it.

"Thank you Misty!" they exclaimed and hugged her tightly.

"My pleasure, kiddos," Misty told them as she hugged them again. She let go and reported them to the administrators of Facebook along with the screenshots, and called the police over. She printed out the screenshots for them and had Mokuba help her find their IP address/locations for them. When they came, she explained what happened and what she wanted them to do. Thankfully they were able to help. They left and went to talk to the families involved. Seto had sent the virus for the people who wrote the hateful posts and flagged their IP addresses to be banned. Of course he was impressed with Misty's posts, especially the last one. Because he had such advanced virus protection and he was the one who created it, the computers in the mansion and Misty's laptop were spared, as well as the friend who stood up for Sophia and Mokuba. He contacted his lawyers and got them the information and evidence they needed. There was a court date set for later on that week.

It didn't take long for there to be a bit of notoriety at the school that Sophia and Mokuba were NOT to be messed with, but right now it didn't matter. They were enjoying themselves this week.

In court later that week, the judge ruled in favor of Misty, Mokuba, Seto, and Sophia, and the cyber bullies were sent to alternative school and would be staying in jail for their housing, and were ordered to give restitution to Mokuba and Sophia. Their families cried hysterically and hugged them before they were dragged away. Misty, Mokuba, Seto, and Sophia felt satisfied that justice had been served.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading ch. 10. I hope you enjoyed it! Just a friendly reminder to leave a review. New, Fresh Reviews= New chapters.

 *****Update (5-4-16): chs. 11 and 12 are embargoed (on hold) until new, fresh reviews are posted. You aren't going to want to miss out. Things are starting to get more interesting. There is even some hot, sweet lemon action.  
**


	11. Protection

**A/N:** A big thank you to the guest who reviewed ch. 10 to release this chapter. I'm so excited for the release of this chapter. See what happens when y'all leave fresh reviews?

Okay, now about the chapter... y'all are about to find out a little more about Sophia's background, and how it will come more into play later.

I also did delve a little into the clinical and legal side for a couple parts (but I made it easy to understand). (My schooling kind of influenced those parts).

Enjoy!

Don't forget to leave a review (at least ONE) in order for me to release 12.

(12 is seriously sweet and spah-cy *a la Stefan from Saturday Night Live*)

* * *

At 11:00 a.m. the next day…

Misty was busy working with Seto and was teaching him how to paint in the sunlit room he had converted into a studio in which they could work. Misty had made sure that he was wearing clothes he didn't mind getting dirty, and a trashbag apron so he wouldn't get paint on his clothes. While she taught him how to paint, they sipped wine, just like at their class on their Valentine's date. In between sips and some paintings, he would steal a kiss every so often. Misty giggled.

"Easy, dragon," she told him with a chuckle.

"Oh a new term of endearment," Seto said amused. He did like this new nickname instead of tiger. Misty giggled.

"Oh you like that huh?" Misty teased.

"Yeah. I would also like White Lightning too," Seto replied.

"Alright, I can do that," Misty agreed. Seto smiled pleased and gave her another kiss and worked on their paintings again.

Upstairs…

Sophia had stayed over again, as she had for the past week, and she was watching Mokuba play his video games and was his own personal cheerleader. She would happily cheer as he beat level after level. When he got to the big boss level, he struggled a little. When he beat it, Sophia kissed him excitedly in a passionate kiss. Mokuba was surprised by the suddenness of the passionate kiss, but he kissed back just as passionately. Both of them started to get warm as they continued kissing passionately. Mokuba gently laid Sophia on the bed as they kissed, and started to feel hardness between his legs. Sophia was also feeling a bit aroused. The sensations scared them and they were forced to part. True, they had previous arousals, but nothing as intense as this; it seemed magnified. They were panting wildly and tried to calm down.

"I'm sorry," Sophia apologized in a squeak and was blushing a deep shade of red.

"It's alright," Mokuba reassured her quickly as he was panting and tried to calm down. Sophia covered her deep red face.

"I don't know what to do…" Sophia admitted embarrassed. She didn't really have much of a sexual education. Sure, there had been innuendo used around her, and her mother had discussed menstrual cycles when she hit puberty, but nothing really substantial aside from that.

"Me either…" Mokuba agreed embarrassed. Gozaburo never really educated Seto nor Mokuba; the only thing he really ingrained into them is how to be a corporate CEO and work around the clock. If it wasn't business-related, it didn't matter. Thankfully, there was someone else they could talk to who would probably be more educated about sex stuff… Misty. This was going to be so embarrassing. He took a breath and looked at Sophia. "I think we should ask Misty… I think she would be a lot more educated than any of us and can explain things better." Sophia looked at him a little terrified.

"That's so embarrassing…" she protested.

"What choice do we have?" Mokuba countered gently. Sophia sighed knowing he was right. "It's as embarrassing for me as it is for you," he reassured her. He also figured it would probably be embarrassing for Seto too, but they needed to know. Once the arousal was replaced with nervousness, Mokuba held her hand and they got up and went looking for Misty. They soon heard her and Seto's voices coming from the studio room, so they followed them. Their stomachs seemed to sink a little lower the closer they got. They saw Seto and Misty painting a colorful landscape of the Riverwalk that required two canvases, just like their date night "love trees at night" painting. He knew it was the Riverwalk because he had heard Misty and Seto talking about it as they were painting it. Sophia wanted to run away, but Mokuba was holding her hand firmly. He knocked on the open door to get their attention. Misty and Seto immediately turned around and smiled at them.

"Hey Mokuba and Sophia," Seto greeted.

"Hi…" they greeted shyly. Seto's eyebrow climbed a little puzzled; something was up to make them extra shy and embarrassed. Did they do something they weren't supposed to?

"What's up kiddos?" Misty asked curiously. She tried to make her tone sound as gentle and welcoming as possible.

"We would like to talk to you, please…" Sophia piped up. Misty and Seto were curious.

"Sure, what about?" Misty asked and waved them in to sit and get comfortable on the other chairs in the room.

"Um… we would like to speak with just you… if that's okay…" Sophia replied. She felt uneasy talking about sex in front of Seto.

"…Alright. Let me just clean up a little and we can go out in the hallway," Misty assured them and cleaned up the paints and dumped the water and went with them out into the hallway.

"Ok, go," Misty encouraged once she got settled in the hallway with them. This had to be something serious in order for them to want to talk to her and not Seto, and for them to be so anxious.

"Well… we wanted to know…about…sex," Mokuba got out and took a breath relieved to have said it.

" _Oh, that explains their uneasiness. Sex is quite a hard topic to talk about. They must've felt you were the most educated between the four of y'all…" Misty's inner self said._ Misty had to admit that was flattering that they came to her thinking that.

"Ok, sure. What specifically do y'all want to know about it?" Misty asked casually, so as to try and get them to relax a little.

" _Is she experienced with it?" Sophia and Mokuba's inner selves asked a bit surprised by her casual, relaxed tone._

"Um… everything actually…" Mokuba admitted. Misty took a breath as she tried to gather her thoughts to explain this to them.

"Um… does it hurt?" Sophia piped up.

"Not if you do it right," Misty answered. Even though she was not actually experienced, she did research enough to know that sex shouldn't hurt if it was done right, even for the first time.

"…okay," Sophia and Mokuba replied. Sophia blushed a bit.

"What else do you want to ask me?" Misty asked. She knew there were questions bursting at the seams, but they didn't seem to know how to get them out, based on the silence she was getting. "What do y'all know about sex?" Misty asked. She wanted a gauge to which information they needed.

"I just know about periods and if you have unprotected sex, you get pregnant," Sophia answered.

"If it wasn't business, our stepfather Gozaburo didn't bother to teach Seto and me about it," Mokuba answered. "I do know that unprotected sex leads to pregnancy, but that's it."

"That is true and is definitely something to remember, but there is a LOT more to it than that… You know what, I can tell you what I know, but I think it's best you learn from doctors who can give you pure fact. I don't want to get any of the facts wrong. What do y'all think?" Misty asked. If they wanted to be educated about sex, by damn they were going to get thoroughly educated with the right information.

"That's smart," Sophia and Mokuba agreed. At least it took some of the awkwardness away.

"Alright," Misty agreed and called Edward to request he take them to a clinic with doctors who specialized in sexual health.

"Um…okay…" Edward replied, but agreed to get a limo ready for them.

"Thank you," Misty replied and poked her head back in the studio.

"Seto, take off your apron. You're coming with us," Misty commanded.

"Where are we going?" Seto asked puzzled.

"You, Sophia, Mokuba, and I are going to a clinic with doctors that specialize in sexual health. They want to be properly educated about sexuality and sexual health. Mokuba tells me you've never had any sexual education before either, so you're going to learn about it too," Misty informed him. Seto's cobalt eyes widened in surprise, and he blushed a bit in embarrassment.

" _Oh God… how embarrassing… we have to learn about sex…" Seto thought._

" _It's a good thing, especially if you want to get intimate with Misty at some point," his inner self pointed out._

" _That's true… it would be more embarrassing if it came time to make love to her, and I had NO clue what to do…" Seto conceded._

"I know, it's embarrassing, but this is information y'all NEED to know," Misty empathized and took Seto's hand and led him out of the studio. Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia walked to the limo, and the tense silence was so thick, you could cut it with a serrated knife.

"Hey, y'all need to relax a bit," Misty told them as she tried to get them to calm down a bit.

"Easy for you to say…You know about it already…" Seto countered a little irritably.

"I'm still going to learn with y'all. I could pick up something I didn't know before," Misty replied. Seto sighed. Mokuba continued to hold Sophia's hand firmly.

Twenty minutes later, Edward pulled up at the clinic and let them out.

"Thank you Edward," Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba told Edward customarily as they got out.

"You're welcome," Edward customarily replied and got back in the limo and went to go park. The four of them stood at the doorways, but Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia looked at the doors a little anxiously. Misty took Seto's and Mokuba's hands, while Mokuba's other hand held Sophia's, and they walked in together.

"Hi, how can I help you?" the medical assistant behind the counter asked. Misty noticed her name was Joyce.

"Hi Joyce, I was wondering if I could get a male and female doctor to educate my family here about sexual health. Would that be possible?" Misty inquired. She figured it would be more awkward to say friends, so she went with family because they were practically family already now.

"Certainly, we'd be happy to assist you," Joyce replied cordially and had them sign the sign in sheet. "It may be a few minutes," she informed Misty.

"That's fine," Misty assured her as she signed in and gave the pen to Seto for him to sign in too. Once he was finished, Seto passed the pen to Mokuba, who then passed it to Sophia after signing. They sat in the cushioned chairs in the waiting room with the other patients. Some were staring at Seto and Mokuba a little surprised to see them there, but they were more concerned about their own ailments and appointments. Seto felt a bit more uncomfortable. About 15 minutes later, a male and a female doctor called them back to a conference room, and shut the door. They had diagrams, pamphlets, and models all laid out on the table. The doctors gave them friendly smiles and invited them to sit down.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Bloom," the female doctor introduced herself. She was in her mid-30s, had brown hair with a few silver strands here and there, glasses, and brown eyes.

"And I'm Dr. Rivera," the male doctor introduced himself. He had tan skin, brown eyes, was also in his 30s, black hair, and was handsome.

"Would you like something to drink?" Dr. Bloom offered.

"Maybe some water," Misty, Sophia, Seto, and Mokuba piped up.

"Sure," Dr. Bloom nodded and got them some bottled water.

"Thank you," they told her.

"Now, we understand that as a family, you would like some education on sexual health. Is that correct?" Dr. Rivera asked.

"Yes," Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia replied.

"Alright, excellent. I'm glad you all came in today to get factual information. I'm going to give you all some pamphlets to take home, but Dr. Bloom and I are going to discuss this in a clinical, informative way you all can understand. I want you all to first think of your bodies as more of a science project, okay?" Dr. Rivera began as he handed them the pamphlets. Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia nodded.

Dr. Rivera and Dr. Bloom then covered everything they needed to know about sex. They started with basic anatomy of the male and female reproductive systems; then covered diseases and cancer and how they're screened and treated; proper usage and applications of condoms and contraception; the female menstrual cycle; the process of pregnancy; and its effects on the females' bodies. Dr. Rivera instructed about the male portion, while Dr. Bloom instructed about the female portion. Drs. Rivera and Bloom also had them practice what they learned on the models on the table, and answered their questions.

About 4 hours later, Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba left the clinic with bags containing the pamphlets, some condoms, and lubricant sample packs. While they were waiting for Edward to pick them up at the curb, some paparazzi started to come up and take pictures of them and ask questions. Seto tried to shield them with wide, stunned and angry cobalt eyes.

" _Why do they have to bother us now?!" Seto thought irritably as he tried to figure out how to handle them and protect Misty, Sophia and Mokuba at the same time._ He could just see the headlines now: "The Kaibas Get Some Action!" or something of the like that would be derogatory and libelous.

" _They're leeches…" Seto's inner self reasoned. There wasn't really any other reason he could think of as to why else they would be bothering them._ Seto growled under his breath as he continued to shield his brother and the girls with his outstretched arms.

The paparazzi had been driving around looking for someone of interest, and they happened to see them coming out of the clinic with the bags, so they pulled up and came upon them.

"What's in the bag? Why are you here?" the paparazzi nosily asked as their cameras shuttered rapidly and noisily. Seto wanted to break the cameras, but there were so many of them, and he was trying to shield Mokuba, Misty, and Sophia. Misty got out from Seto's "shelter."

"Misty! What are you doing?!" Seto demanded.

" _What do you think she's doing? She's about to go off on them!" Misty's inner self remarked towards Seto._

"Handling this," Misty assured him and gave him a confident look with her chocolate eyes. Seto was unsure, but decided to trust her. Misty then faced the paparazzi and stood in front of them.

"Hey, y'all need to lay off! It's none of your fucking business what's in the bags! You're also committing a serious crime right now in attempting to violate our patient privacy! If y'all don't back off NOW, I WILL get the government to charge you with patient privacy law violations and slap SERIOUS fines on your asses!" Misty snarled, with her chocolate eyes blazing viciously at them. Her face also took on demonic contortions as it tended to do when she was extremely angry.

"Stop worrying about what we're doing, stop trying to slander and libel us, and go spend time with your families. They're more important anyways," Misty added, and she started walking towards them with her demon face on. The paparazzi then backed away. They had heard about Misty's tenacity, and started to get a little scared of what she might do. Edward then pulled up and they got in the limo and thanked him.

"Wow…" Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia remarked.

"That was incredible how you shut them down!" Mokuba exclaimed.

" _It was brilliant how she threw that patient privacy rights thing in their faces too!" Seto's inner self remarked impressed._

" _Yeah. I'm glad she knew about that. I never would've thought of using that," Seto admitted._

" _Yeah! Plus did you see how scary she looked when she got her demon face on? I'll definitely remind you not to get on her bad side!" his inner self added._

" _I should hope so," Seto retorted in a half-serious, half amused tone._

"I'm just glad I was able to help and make sure y'all got the information y'all needed to make smart decisions." Misty replied.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed.

"Thanks for stepping up," Seto thanked her and gave her a light kiss.

"Anytime, babe," Misty replied after they kissed.

Though, Sophia was worried about this getting back to her family, if the paparazzi ran this. Her father would likely demand an explanation, and that would be a terrible conversation. She would have to constantly reassure him that she was not having sex; she was just getting educated about it in order to make a smart decision for herself later. Sure enough, her father called her because they got a picture emailed to them from a family member, who saw an image of the four of them posted online. Sophia got nervous.

"What is it baby?" Mokuba asked gingerly.

"My dad is calling. He doesn't call unless it's something serious, or to wish me a happy birthday or holiday," Sophia answered. Mokuba squeezed her hand.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Mr. Yakamori was staring at the picture in front of him of the Kaiba brothers, a pear-shaped woman with extremely short brown hair and brown eyes, and his little girl coming out of a clinic known for having doctors who specialized in sexual health. Immediately, he assumed that she was sexually active. He was thoroughly annoyed as the phone was ringing, and his long, slender fingers drummed on the desk in a semi-loud staccato rhythm. His other hand ruffled his dark blond, spiky, hair, and then his blond, trimmed goatee on his strong, square jaw. It was more of a fidgeting move more than anything.

"Honey, I'm sure, there's a reasonable explanation," Mrs. Yakamori coaxed her husband. She was a lovely, average sized, woman with youthful features, had gentle brown eyes, and short dark brown hair. Mr. Yakamori held a finger up to his wife, and his green eyes gave her a hard look that said "I'm handling this!" Mrs. Yakamori sighed as she sat down in her chair.

* * *

"H-hello?" Sophia answered nervously.

" _It's about time!" Mr. Yakamori's inner self snarled._

"Hello princess," Mr. Yakamori greeted his daughter calmly.

"Hi daddy…" Sophia greeted, but there was a bit of an awkward silence after that because she knew he was upset.

"So, your cousin sent me a picture of you, the Kaiba brothers, and some short-haired, brunette woman coming out of a clinic with doctors that specialize in sexual health. Would you care to explain what you were doing there with them?" Mr. Yakamori calmly asked.

"Dad… I don't want to talk about it…" Sophia replied awkwardly.

"I demand an explanation," Mr. Yakamori insisted. By damn, he was going to get the explanation!

"Daddy, please," Sophia begged. Mr. Yakamori was just getting angrier.

"I'm waiting!" Mr. Yakamori insisted impatiently.

Back in the limo…

Misty, Seto and Mokuba had been watching and listening and Misty was getting tired of how uncomfortable Sophia was. Her maternal instincts were kicking in, and she mouthed "Tell him you have patient privacy rights." Sophia nodded. That seemed to get the paparazzi to shut up; that, and the fact that Misty scared them off.

"…I have patient privacy rights," Sophia finally said.

"Don't give me that bullcrap! Tell me what you were doing there!" Mr. Yakamori demanded angrily. Misty could infer he was yelling by the way Sophia cringed her jade green eyes behind her glasses. Misty had enough of this, so she waved her hand at Sophia to indicate that she would like to talk to him. Immediately, Sophia handed over her phone feeling relieved but also anxious at Misty taking over. She knew her father was a powerful man, and Misty was pretty strong, but she didn't want Misty to be harmed for protecting her.

"Easy," Seto whispered in her ear knowing what she was about to do. Misty gave him a look that said "I've got this!"

" _There's no arguing with that look," Seto's inner self remarked_. Seto nodded inwardly in agreement. _"This is going to be interesting," he added as he settled in to watch her unleash her fierce side._

"Hello, Mr. Yakamori?" Misty greeted. Mr. Yakamori was stunned.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Hi, I'm Misty Robinson. You probably saw me coming out of the clinic with Sophia and the Kaiba brothers. Anyways, Sophia asked you to stop demanding information about what went on at the clinic. She is an adult and has patient privacy rights. She does not have to disclose any health information if she chooses not to. Demanding health information she is not willing to disclose is illegal and will net huge fines and criminal charges. You can also be charged for harassment if you persist," Misty threatened.

"I'M HER FATHER!" Mr. Yakamori snarled.

"It doesn't matter. Unless she signed an authorization form to allow you access to her medical information, that information will NOT be disclosed, especially since she is 18. You have been warned. If you persist, we will be pressing charges," Misty declared with unwavering maternal confidence.

* * *

Mr. Yakamori's face was now red, and Mrs. Yakamori was concerned and tried to calm him down by putting her hand on his shoulder.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME THAT WAY?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?!" immediately Misty grinned. He walked right into the quip she was about to say next.

"I would suggest you get checked for Alzheimer's since you don't know who you are," Misty quipped. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gaped at her stunned with open mouths. Sophia was more horrified though; her father was a mafia boss.

" _DID SHE SERIOUSLY JUST SAY THAT TO HIM?!" Sophia, Mokuba, and Seto thought aghast._

"WHAT?!" Mr. Yakamori yelled in stunned rage, his green eyes going wide. Never before had he been so disrespected.

"I said you should get checked for Alzheimer's because you obviously don't know who you are. She is not going to disclose her information. We will be pressing charges on you now for trying to violate patient privacy rights, and for harassment," Misty retorted sternly. Mr. Yakamori seethed more.

"YOU WILL REGRET THIS, MISTY!" Mr. Yakamori screamed in utter rage.

"No, you will. Have you forgotten about MY connections? Regardless, see you in court," Misty retorted coolly and hung up. Mr. Yakamori slammed the phone down in anger and sank into the chair. His veins throbbed against his head. Immediately, his wife tried to calm him down with some affection, but he was in no mood for affection right now; he was on a mission. He called up his nephew, Tao.

"Hey uncle, what's up?" Tao asked.

"I need you to go to the Kaibas sometime this week and present Mr. Kaiba with a deal that seems legit, but it's actually kind of like a Trojan horse thing that will allow me to hijack his company," Mr. Yakamori requested.

"Sure uncle, I can do that for you," Tao promised. Mr. Yakamori smiled.

"Thank you, Tao. I can hardly wait," Mr. Yakamori replied with a smile.

"It'll be fun," Tao declared with a smile and hung up. He started planning a technology deal that had all the angles covered. He knew Mr. Kaiba was likely to research it inside out before signing. He simply plagiarized someone else's product, a powerful processing chip, that he was sure Mr. Kaiba likely never heard of, and had a virus on the ready.

Meanwhile, back at the Yakamori mansion, the police had come, sent by Misty to arrest Mr. Yakamori. Mrs. Yakamori was freaking out as her husband was led away in handcuffs. The officer read him his rights and took him downtown to be booked and charged at the police station.

"I want my lawyer!" Mr. Yakamori demanded furiously. The police made the call to get his lawyer on the line and had the lawyer come in.

" _Well played, Misty," Mr. Yakamori thought._ At least he knew she was a woman of her word, but it still infuriated him that she was seriously pressing charges on him all because he demanded health information from his daughter. Who the hell was she to inhibit that? He figured he wouldn't be in jail too long.

" _I really hope Tao is successful…" his inner self thought._

" _Me too," Mr. Yakamori agreed._

His lawyer showed up a little while later, and conferred with him and the police.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Kaiba limo…

"Wow…" Sophia managed to squeak out as Misty handed her phone back to her. She was busy making a call to the police to tell them about how Mr. Yakamori was violating healthcare privacy laws and was harassing Sophia and she wanted to press charges. Sophia freaked out more; her father was going to be viciously livid.

"I didn't want to press charges…" Sophia told Misty.

"Sorry sweetie, but I had to make sure he knew I was serious, and the fact that healthcare privacy laws are that serious. I warned him to stop, and he didn't listen, so now he's going to pay for it," Misty reasoned. "What's wrong?" she asked as she saw Sophia's face go paper white in anxiety.

"…My father is an extremely powerful man… "Sophia replied with cryptic anxiety.

"Oh, and Mokuba and Seto aren't?" Misty countered. Seto and Mokuba smiled at how Misty said that.

"Honey, we deal with powerful men every day," Mokuba interjected gently as he squeezed her hand.

"We've got it covered, and we've got your back," Misty reassured her. Sophia nodded and gave a bit of a smile feeling a bit better, especially when Mokuba hugged her close. Seto sat there quietly as he watched and listened, and was proud of Misty for stepping up in a big way today. She was amazing.

They soon went back to the mansion, and Misty taught Rosa how to make one of her dishes from back home; steak and cheese enchiladas with rice and beans. To drink, Misty made some sweet iced tea. The smells wafting through the mansion smelled so tantalizing. Misty insisted on making a lot because she wanted all the staff to taste REAL (Tex-) Mexican food. Mokuba, Sophia, Seto, and the staff were so excited. After Seto, Misty, Mokuba and Sophia sat down with their food, the staff lined up and served themselves and took it to their break room to eat. Everyone could certainly taste the authentic, savory flavors doing a cumbia on their tongues. After everyone finished their food, they felt stuffed. Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia helped Rosa with the dishes and they relaxed watching a random movie together on the couch.

* * *

A few days later, on St. Patrick's Day…

Misty was wearing a green dress and noticed how festive everything was. She had to admit she was a bit surprised that Japan celebrated St. Patrick's Day, but it was nice. She had insisted that Seto and Mokuba at least wear something green, or she would pinch them. Mokuba wore a green arm band over his uniform. Seto didn't pay too much attention to everyone celebrating but he had to admit that Misty looked good in green. He wasn't sure about the emerald green tie and the mint green shirt under his suitcoat though. He just didn't want to get pinched, so he agreed.

A few hours later, he sent Misty on an errand to go to the post office pick up a particular part for a prototype he was working on. When Misty got to the post office, she was a little irritated about standing in a long line at the pickup window. The line seemed to take a while to move as the clerk seemed to take a while with each customer.

Tao wore his nice pinstripe suit with a sage green shirt and a shamrock pin, and shiny black loafers. His long, black hair was slicked back into a low ponytail, and his steel-grey eyes had a bit of smug expression hidden within them. He was a handsome man, in his 20s, and he had a tendency to get people to let their guard down around him. He hoped Mr. Kaiba was not an exception to that rule. He could imagine all the fun he and his uncle were about to have tearing this company apart. He had waited until Misty had left the building, and was safely away on an errand. He found her a little bit intimidating, especially with the remnants of the burns, and her size. There was also a protective vibe emanating off of her like a radiator; if she was around, she would foil the plan. He went up to Mary, the receptionist and told her he had an appointment with Mr. Kaiba. Mary checked the appointment book and confirmed it, had him sign the log, and then sent him up to Seto's office.

Seto was finishing up a report before his appointment with Mr. Tao. He was making pretty good progress on it, but then he heard a knock and Roland had answered the door. Tao smiled at Roland in a friendly manner to deflect any suspicion. Seto had saved his work and turned around in his chair. He rose and shook Tao's hand, as his azure eyes scanned him.

"Hello Mr. Tao. So, you tell me you have this product that will work wonders for me? You can imagine my skepticism. Please, do elaborate on how your technology would benefit me and my company," Seto told him curtly and invited him to sit down in the plush guest chair while he sat in his own luxe, plush, and supportive desk chair.

Seto listened with rapt attention as Tao presented the powerful processing chip he had plagiarized. Instinctively, he looked for holes in the presentation, but it was that good he couldn't find any.

" _This is almost too good…" his inner self pointed out._

" _Yeah, but maybe he's just really good at presenting?" Seto reasoned._

" _That's true…" his inner self conceded._ "But at least think it over and research it."

" _Alright," Seto agreed._

" _I think he's buying it! This is in the bag!" Tao gloated in his head._

" _Easy, we haven't won him just yet. I think he's still suspicious," his inner self dragged him back to reason and logic._

" _I got this," Tao crowed confidently and continued._ Eventually, they started hammering out a deal. Seto inspected the deal carefully to ensure he wasn't being cheated, but found no evidence pointing that way. In fact, the more Tao talked to him, the more at ease he seemed.

" _I love this gift of suckering people into letting their guard down with me!" Tao gloated inwardly._

"Well, I would like some time to think it over," Seto requested.

"Sure, whatever you need to do," Tao agreed but was actually quite annoyed at the delay.

" _Patience… you'll have him soon enough… the delay is just standard procedure," Tao's inner self reasoned._

" _Right…" Tao agreed impatiently and got kicked by his inner self._

" _I said patience!" his inner self snapped._

" _Alright, alright! Chill!" Tao snapped at his inner self._

"When can I expect to hear back from you on whether or not the deal is finalized?" Tao asked.

"Would a week be okay?" Seto asked, curious about what the rush was.

"Sure," Tao agreed and shook his hand. Just then, Misty walked in with the package, and a couple of iced mint mochas from their coffee shop; it took about 30 minutes to get the package, and about 15 to get the mint mochas, and 10 minutes to get back.

"Hey… Mr. Kaiba," Misty greeted, remembering to use the professional moniker, especially around his guest. "I brought you an iced mint mocha."

"Thank you Misty, this is Mr. Tao. Mr. Tao, this is my assistant, Misty Robinson," Seto introduced as he took one of the iced mint mochas from her hand.

"Charmed to meet you," Tao replied with a smile to her, but it was fake. Misty could immediately tell his smile was fake, and she sized him up, committing her memory to remember every detail about him. He was dangerous, like a rattlesnake that Misty would have to stop.

"Likewise," Misty lied and shook his hand and felt a strong, negative vibration course through her. He was an evil man! Not, only that, but she could see a cold, evil spirit in his eyes. He felt a bit uneasy.

" _Shit…" he thought. He knew that she knew he was up to something. He could see it in the way her fierce chocolate eyes bored into his, like molten screws into steel._

" _Hold on, he still might do the deal if he doesn't listen to her," his inner self told him to keep his confidence up. Tao was briefly comforted by that, but not much. He knew Misty was going to ruin it._

"Mr. Tao was just in here proposing a good deal about some powerful processing chips we could use," Seto told her oblivious to the negative energy sparking between Tao and Misty.

"I see," Misty replied.

"Well Mr. Kaiba, I will see you in a week, and I look forward to hearing your decision," Tao told him. "It was a pleasure to have met you, Mr. Kaiba, and Misty, but I have to be going now. Business never ends," he said and excused himself. Misty watched him leaving and get on the elevator, and then crossed the office to the window to watch him get into his car. She whipped out her phone and took a picture of him getting into the car with the license plate. Seto was puzzled by her actions.

"What is with you?" Seto demanded and tried to pull her close in an embrace.

"Taking a picture so I know who to report to the police," Misty replied deadpan. Seto dropped his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked confused.

" _Am I missing something here?" Seto thought._

" _Maybe," his inner self agreed, but didn't know either._

"He's evil, and most likely a con man," Misty answered seriously.

"What?! What are you talking about? He was just in here making a deal about processing chips!" Seto yelled exasperated and annoyed. Misty gave him a hard stare. Seto glared back, his azure eyes hardening into ice.

" _Where does she get off accusing him like that?!" Seto thought angrily._

" _She probably noticed something you didn't," his inner self pointed out, but Seto was still incensed._ Misty was angry that he was getting so frustrated.

"You don't trust my instincts?" Misty hissed.

"Misty, I looked this deal over through and through, it seems legit and like a good deal!" Seto protested.

"I felt EVIL vibes from him! He's a snake oil salesman who is going to do nothing but ruin your work!" Misty insisted. "When I shook that devil's hand, I felt sick because of all the negative, evil energy radiating through him! And when my gaze bore into his eyes, I got a view of how badly his soul was tainted! He was going to do whatever it took to get you to listen to whatever he said so he could ruin you!"

"Ridiculous!" Seto insisted and Misty pushed him away.

"SETO, HE'S OUT TO RUIN YOU!" Misty shot back, getting angry. "WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!"

"Do you have proof?" Seto demanded.

" _You're treading on dangerous ground…" his inner self warned him._

" _Why is he being so foolish?!" Misty's inner self demanded as equally as frustrated as she was._

"Not at the moment, but I WILL find it!" Misty vowed. "In the meantime, DON'T agree to the deal!"

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Seto snarled. "I'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS WAY LONGER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE AND I KNOW A GOOD DEAL WHEN I SEE ONE!"

"AND I KNOW AN EVIL PERSON WHEN I SEE AND FEEL ONE!" Misty shot back. "MY INSTINCTS SAVED YOUR LIFE ONCE, YOU DON'T THINK THEY'D BE TWO FOR TWO?!" Seto scoffed, and it infuriated Misty more. She was practically red as a cherry with rage, and there were tears of pure, liquid anger streaming from her eyes. Seto was stunned. He'd never seen her so angry that she was crying tears of rage. Sure, she was infuriated when Wheeler called her a whore, when Mokuba got in trouble for protecting Sophia, when Mokuba got suspended, when they were being bullied, and when they were harassed by paparazzi, but he'd never seen it on this level.

"FINE! LET HIM DESTROY YOUR COMPANY THEN!" Misty screamed at him and stomped off to go cool down in the bathroom.

"Wow…" Seto remarked and sat in his chair exasperated.

" _Why did you have to do that to her?" his inner self demanded._

" _I didn't like it when she insulted my prowess to know a good deal!"_

" _And she didn't like it when you insulted her instincts! She saved your life by following them! She knows something's wrong and tried to tell you, but you just insulted her for it!" his inner self shot back and punched him internally, making him wince with the oncoming headache. Seto sighed, but he was too proud to bend. "You're going to lose her trust if you don't listen to her!" his inner self yelled at him, but Seto tuned him out and pushed him away, making him growl in anger._ In the meantime, Seto got back to work on his report, but found it a little hard to concentrate with the fight playing in his head. The iced mint mocha helped a little, but not much.

" _Apologize to her and make up," his inner self told him. Seto pushed him away again. He didn't think he did anything wrong, and still thought it was a good deal. "You're an idiot," his inner self added. Seto ignored him and kept trying to work._

Misty got a paper towel and dabbed her face and eyes to cool down.

" _Why does he have to be so oblivious and stubborn?!" Misty thought angrily._

" _I guess he's always been that way, but I do agree that his stubbornness is stupid right now. You're trying to tell him something's wrong, and he won't listen to you. I wonder if he wasn't listening when people warned him to see the doctor when he had appendicitis," her inner self replied._

" _I wouldn't doubt it," Misty agreed. "He trusts me with most everything else, enough to be his girlfriend, but he doesn't listen when I try to protect him from screwing up," Misty added exasperated. "Why do men do that?"_

" _I guess they're too proud to listen to advice," her inner self theorized and shrugged. Misty sighed and was a bit calmer, but was still mad._

" _I need to get back to work and focus on that since he's not going to listen," she said to her inner self and got her iPod out and plugged the headphones in._ She marched out and decided to lose herself in the music as she worked on her task, occasionally sipping on her iced mint mocha. Seto glanced at her and noticed she was ignoring him, listening to her music, and drinking her drink.

At lunch, she continued to ignore him as she enjoyed her leftovers from dinner the night before. Seto felt a little alienated with her ignoring him.

"Misty, please talk to me," Seto requested. Misty glared at him a little and resumed ignoring him and browsing Facebook and her emails on her phone. Seto sighed exasperated. "Are you still mad about the fight?" Seto asked. In return, he got silence.

"How's it feel to not be listened to?" Misty snapped at him and then resumed her cold silence. After lunch and until Mokuba came to the office alone (Sophia had to work), she continued to keep ignoring him, to his growing frustration. Mokuba immediately noticed the frigidity permeating the air. It was incredibly odd since Misty and Seto meshed together so well.

"What happened?" Mokuba asked his brother.

"I had a meeting with a Mr. Tao earlier, while I had sent Misty on an errand. He gave an impressive presentation about a processing chip that would be good, and was going to strike a deal with me. Then Misty came back, I introduced them, and she started acting weird. He seemed uncomfortable with her. Then when he left, she followed him to the window and watched him go. Then we had a fight. She told me he was evil and not to agree to anything, and I told her that I knew more about business deals than she could ever imagine, and she snapped that she knew an evil person when she saw and felt it. I'd never seen her so angry. She was red and had tears she was so angry. Ever since then, she has been giving me the silent treatment and ignored me," Seto explained.

"I see…" Mokuba replied. He went to Misty and tapped her shoulder. Misty looked and saw him and gave him a half smile.

"Hey kiddo. Have a good day?" Misty asked. "I take it Sophia is working tonight?"

"Yeah, she is, and it was alright. So, what's going on?" Mokuba asked.

"I walked in on Seto making a deal with an EVIL man. I was polite, but I knew he was uncomfortable around me. I tried to warn Seto not to agree to anything because he was evil and a con man, he asked for proof, I told him I would get it. He told me that he knew more about business than I could imagine, and I told him that I knew evil when I saw and felt it, and asked why he didn't trust my instincts when I followed them to save his life. He scoffed disrespectfully, and that angered me. I need your help to prove this Mr. Tao is evil and that there is something not right about this deal," Misty explained.

"I'll see what I can do. I'm not quite as good as Seto is though," Mokuba told her.

"Don't sell yourself short, kiddo. You're amazing at it, and definitely know more than I do," Misty countered gently. Mokuba smiled and hugged her.

"I'll do my best," Mokuba vowed.

"Thanks Mokuba. Please hurry, we only have a week," Misty begged.

"On it!" Mokuba vowed. He did his homework, while his brother and Misty worked, then worked on the information that Misty requested. It was quiet, except for Misty's music.

Even in the limo, Misty avoided sitting with Seto because she was still upset with him insulting her instincts, and not trusting her. Seto hated the silence, but he still insisted to himself that the deal was good.

Mokuba felt awkward with the tension. He was resolved to ensure he found everything he needed to make sure that they would make up. Even at home, she didn't speak to him.

" _Is it worth it?" Seto's inner self asked._

" _I don't know…" Seto admitted. He felt miserable that Misty wouldn't talk to him unless absolutely necessary. It shouldn't have bothered him, but it really did._

" _All she was trying to do was protect you and your company, and you insulted her," his inner self reprimanded him. "I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to talk to you after that. What's really so bad about not agreeing to the deal if she feels that strongly about feeling an overwhelming sense of evil from him? I'm sure there are other processing chips that would be good," his inner self reasoned._

" _I guess…" Seto replied._

" _But you still don't believe you're wrong…" his inner self pointed out and sighed. "You're going to lose her if this doesn't stop," his inner self warned. Seto sighed and decided to think about it._

* * *

Meanwhile, Tao was anxious about the deal now. Damn Misty! Why did she have to come back and meet him? She knew what he was up to. He was kind of glad that his uncle couldn't call him to see what was happening, but he would be expecting a visit. Hopefully, he could visit after the week was up and he had the deal squared away… if things still went swimmingly.

* * *

March 23rd

Misty was still upset with Seto and knew Mr. Tao was coming, and was praying Mokuba made it on time to give her some good news confirming Mr. Tao was as corrupt as she thought. True, it wasn't exactly a full week, but whatever. She was anxious about Seto agreeing to a corrupt deal. What would she do if he did? The company would go under, and they'd be homeless. She prayed and prayed for a stroke of good fortune on their end. She saw him come in, and was feeling tense.

"Hello Mr. Tao," Seto greeted and shook his hand obliviously. He didn't feel the overwhelming sense of evil that Misty did, and invited him in the office. Misty was watching, and Tao noticed that she was watching, but he had a smug smirk on his face. Misty wanted to smack him, but when they weren't looking, she had locked the door and texted Roland to not let anyone let him leave if he got out of the office.

She was still, but in her head, she was practically pacing. She got a ding on her phone and she checked it as Seto sat down with him and started to go over the deal. Her phone indicated she had an email about Mokuba's findings. She grinned and hurried to the computer and started printing everything he sent after looking at it. Seto noticed she was hurriedly printing something and was curious.

"Mr. Kaiba, is everything alright? You seem a bit distracted," Mr. Tao pointed out as he noticed him watching Misty printing something quickly.

"It's fine, it's fine," Seto agreed and continued to talk with Mr. Tao. Misty finished printing and glided to Seto's desk, radiating with confidence and threw the packet down in front of him and smirked back at Tao with a triumphant smirk.

"Read it!" Misty commanded to Seto with authority. Seto was a bit surprised by the authoritative tone in her voice. Seto picked up the stack of papers in front of him and started reading them. His cobalt eyes widened in shock.

"DO YOU BELIEVE ME NOW?!" Misty snarled at Seto. Seto was horrified! Mr. Tao was a criminal, and he had the same last name as Sophia! Though...that could be a coincidence... The processing chip was also plagiarized from another company! Not only was it plagiarized, but the state-of-the-art virus program on the control computer in which the files were tested experimentally, showed that the files were corrupted and riddled with Trojan horses. Tao was anxious and felt like a cornered rat. He'd been caught.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Seto demanded to Tao. Tao was trying to think on his feet of a quick response, but nothing came to him. "Answer me!" Seto demanded angrily, his azure eyes turning glacial cold. Misty then called the police and Tao tried to attack them. Misty acted fast and put the heel of her palm into his nose and broke it, and then kicked him in the gut, and in the Achilles tendon. Tao groaned in agony as he was on the floor. Misty told the police to come to Mr. Kaiba's office and remove Tao and charge him with fraud, theft, malicious intent to destroy a corporation, aggravated assault, and any other crimes that befitted him based on his background report. She used the curtain tie and used it to tie his hands and feet together liked a roper tying a calf's legs in the rodeo. She printed out another copy of the documents she showed Seto for the police, and unlocked the door for the police. She let Roland know the police was coming to take Tao away and asked if he could lead them here. She then turned to Seto panting, and her chocolate eyes burned with rage, set in her demon-contorted face.

"DO YOU BELIEVE ME NOW?!" Misty repeated. Seto felt guilty, ashamed, and like an idiot. He was too proud to have listened to her, and she saved him a second time. If he had continued with this deal, he would have destroyed his company, his employees' lives, and been thrown in jail for using stolen property.

"Yes…" Seto admitted. "Misty, I'm so sorry…" Seto apologized and tried to pull her close in a hug. Misty pushed him away.

"A SORRY ISN'T GOING TO FIX IT RIGHT NOW! YOUR 'EXTENSIVE BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE TO KNOW A GOOD DEAL WHEN YOU SEE ONE' ALMOST COST YOU YOUR COMPANY, LIVELIHOOD, EMPLOYEE LOYALTY, HOME, AND FREEDOM! I KNEW THAT MAN WAS EVIL AND YOU INSULTED MY INSTINCTS THAT SAVED YOU TWICE NOW AND YOU THINK A SIMPLE SORRY IS GOING TO FIX THAT?! WHY ARE MY INSTINCTS NOT CREDIBLE ENOUGH FOR YOU TO HAVE LISTENED IN THE FIRST PLACE?! WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO TAKE FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO GIVE A FUCKING DAMN ABOUT YOU?!" Misty raged. Seto felt worse.

"How can I make this up to you?" Seto asked, genuinely apologetic. Misty was a bit placated by his tone, but she was still angry.

"Right now, I don't know… I'm too angry with you to think straight right now," Misty retorted in a softer tone, which was welcome to Seto. "Don't expect me to want to talk to you unless necessary for a little while," Misty added.

"Again?" Seto asked. He didn't think he could handle more cold, radio silence. He'd really missed her.

"Yes, again. I need some time and space to cool down," Misty shot back.

"Sweetheart, I can't do that again, I hated it," Seto protested.

"Well, you screwed up, and you need to know that not listening has a price!" Misty shot back again and dealt with the police that showed up. She explained everything and showed them the papers as they took him away to the police car reading him his rights. Once they had left, it was time for lunch. Misty had sat away from Seto yet again as she ate her leftovers.

" _You REALLY need to do something special to get back on her good side," Seto's inner self advised._

" _I don't know what to do…" Seto admitted as he gazed at her, wishing he hadn't been so stupid. He missed how sweetly she would talk to him, and the affection._

" _You really love her?" his inner self asked._

" _What kind of question is that?!" Seto shot back irritably._

" _Then show her what she means to you. Give her flowers, write down what she means to you, show her you listen and value her words. Her birthday is in 3 days. Do something grand you'll know she love," his inner self advised. Seto conceded that he had a point. She's done so much for him and Mokuba, and she deserved grand respect and love, but what could he do that was that grand? "Don't you have your mother's ring and locket?" his inner self asked, leading him into an idea; he just hoped he got the drift. Seto's cobalt eyes widened in inspiration as he realized that he did have them tucked away, and he could give them to her as a birthday gift._

" _Getting warmer," his inner self coaxed. "What big event would you give her a ring for?"_

" _A proposal?" Seto asked._

" _Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! Ask her to marry you!" Seto smiled inwardly as he thought about that. That would DEFINITELY show her how much she meant to him, and with no ordinary ring too; she would have his mother's ring. There was a warm surge around him that felt like a familiar embrace._

" _I approve," his mother's familiar voice told him in his head._

" _Mom? Is that you?" Seto asked._

" _Yes honey! I'm so proud of the way you and Mokuba had grown! You're both so handsome! And you found an amazing woman! Don't lose her! Listen to her! She'll love you and keep you safe!" his mother replied._

" _Yes mom," Seto answered obediently. He felt his mother's joy emanating around him. "We miss you."_

" _Dad and I miss you both too, and we will meet again, but in the meantime, be happy! Marry her, and have a family! She's like your guardian angel. Oh, and the same goes for Mokuba and Sophia. I need to go now. I love you and Mokuba very much," his mother told him and lingered a moment, in a sense giving him a hug, before leaving. Seto felt peace and joy coursing through him. His mother just spoke to him, told him she and his dad missed him and loved him, and told him explicitly she wanted him to marry her and keep her, and for Mokuba to marry Sophia, when it was time of course. Now he just had to plan the right course of events for it, on her birthday. He didn't have a lot of time. Fortunately, he came up with an amazing idea she was SURE to love._

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed 11! Don't forget to leave a review! Reviews= New chapters being released quicker, and it's getting sweeter and a lot more interesting with each upcoming chapter.

 **Reminder:** 12 is going to be sweet and spah-cy!


	12. Birthday Surprises

**A/N** : A big thank you to guest C-ster for your review to release 12!

Up ahead, we have a sweet and spah-cy chapter! I hope y'all enjoy the sex scene ahead. Just a reminder, I DID mark where it starts and ends in the event y'all don't want to read that part.

I also did get emotional writing the part about one of Misty's surprises. It was a little tough to write considering how emotional it was, but I pushed through. (It will be a bit more emotional in the next chapter, and even more so in 14.)

Enjoy!

* * *

Later, when Mokuba came to work, he noticed that Misty was still angry with Seto, but was extremely nice to him.

"You did it Mokuba! All that information saved the company!" Misty gushed excitedly and hugged Mokuba.

"Thank God!" Mokuba said relieved.

"Amen!" Misty agreed.

"Are you still mad at Seto?" Mokuba asked sensing the tension between them still.

"Yeah," Misty nodded. Mokuba sighed heavily.

"Misty, I hope you can forgive him for his stubbornness soon… it feels very tense around you too, and I'm sure he's sorry," Mokuba pleaded.

"Yeah, I bet he is, but the fact of the matter is, he refused to trust me or listen, and we made it to the wire in saving him, and everyone else," Misty replied. Mokuba sighed again.

"I really don't like this tension… what does he have to do to get back on your good side?" Mokuba asked. True, he just wanted the peace to be restored, and he wanted to know how he could do so, but it irked Misty a little.

"Well, right now I don't know, and HE'S the one who should be asking. I know you just want to try and restore peace and all, but this is something HE has to do," Misty pointed out gently.

"Alright…" Mokuba relented.

"Thanks kiddo," Misty told him.

"You're welcome. Say, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Mokuba asked.

"Hmm… that's a good question. I suppose going out to dinner and maybe to a movie, or maybe… another painting and wine class. That was fun," Misty suggested.

"And I'll make sure we get the day off," Mokuba assured her with a thumbs up and a smile. She deserved at least that day off. "Oh, and we'll make sure to get you something amazing!" Mokuba added.

"You're so sweet, Mokuba!" Misty gushed with a hug. "Thank you, but you really don't have to go all out; 29 isn't that big a deal."

"You're very welcome, and we want to. It's your first birthday with us, and you're family to us and want to make it special," Mokuba assured her.

"Well in that case, thank you very much. It will be special," Misty replied and hugged him once more before letting go to get back to work. Seto had been watching and listening to their exchange and definitely had an idea in mind. He was also surprised that she was turning 29. She definitely looked more like 23, or even his age of 24. He was also looking for a romantic way to propose, but first, he had to tell Mokuba. He pulled Mokuba aside.

"Hey Seto, what's up?" Mokuba asked.

"I have a plan on what I want to do for Misty for her birthday," Seto announced in a quiet tone. He didn't want her hearing. He checked and saw that she had resumed playing her music on her iPod and was jamming out to some old 1950s music this time. He sighed in relief that she couldn't hear.

"What is it?" Mokuba asked eagerly, his grey eyes growing wide with excitement.

"I was thinking of getting a husky puppy from the shelter, and surprising her with the puppy when she wakes up, then having Rosa prepare her some chocolate chip pancakes, and just relax with her. We could take her and Sophia to the spa for a full day of pampering. Then, it will be like Valentine's Day again. I'll take her to the restaurant we went to for Valentine's Day, then another special painting class, this time it will be a private affair. You and Sophia can come to this painting class too. For the painting, I was thinking of an engagement ring like mom's on a chain around the neck of a Blue Eyes White Dragon. It would be a two-canvas painting, and she would paint the ring. Then after we finished, I would propose to her, and offer mom's ring, and her locket," Seto described.

"Are you serious right now?! You're going to propose?!" Mokuba asked incredulously happy. "What made you decide?!" Mokuba demanded eagerly.

"Everything. She saved our lives, she made a huge difference, she's already family to us, she acts very maternal and protective of you and Sophia, and the fact that she cares so much for us enough to go to the lengths she did today to save our company, and our lives once again, and many more to come. Not talking to her has been unbearable, and I think a proposal will show her how much she means to me and to us. I can't bear to lose her, even if she's just in the other room ignoring me for refusing to listen to her. I love her. She's the first person to genuinely care about and love us since… mom and dad were alive.

"And speaking of mom and dad, the most incredible thing happened earlier today. I was trying to figure things out, and an idea came to me to propose to her and give her mom's ring and her locket for her birthday, and MOM seriously came to me and invaded my thoughts and HUGGED me! I know it wasn't a literal hug, but it felt like it!" Seto told him.

"MOM came to you?!" Mokuba asked incredulously.

"Yeah!" Seto exclaimed.

"Details, bro!" Mokuba demanded, hanging on every word, his grey eyes wide with eagerness.

"When I had been thinking about giving her locket and ring to Misty, I felt a warm, familiar presence in the air envelope me in what felt like a hug. Then, she said she approved, and she and dad miss us and love us, they're proud of us, she's happy and at peace, and Misty was like my guardian angel, and I should NEVER let her go and definitely marry her. She also said that she wanted the same thing for you and Sophia," Seto detailed.

"WOW!" Mokuba gasped still feeling incredulous that their mother had visited Seto to tell him all that. "Now I can't wait for Misty's birthday! This is going to be amazing!" Mokuba exclaimed gleefully.

"…Do you think she'll say yes?" Seto asked, letting his brother glimpse his anxiety. Aside from Misty, Mokuba was THE ONLY person he would allow to see his true self, especially his anxiety. He looked her way and noticed she was still listening to her music and working and looked up when she felt him staring. She gave him a look that said "Well? What are you staring at?" Seto gave her a smile and she gave a puzzled half smile back and went back to work. Seto sighed heavily. Mokuba had watched the exchange.

"Seto, I'm sure she'll be stunned and excited about the proposal," Mokuba assured him. "I don't see why she wouldn't say yes."

"I hope so," Seto replied and they resumed working. He also took advantage of the fact that Misty was working in a separate area and ignoring him to plan her birthday. He made arrangements with their local painting and wine class and paid for it to be private and described the painting he wanted to do. The manager was a bit surprised at the amount he paid to ensure he got exactly what he wanted, but was happy nonetheless. The manager got everything arranged and got one of her instructors to get started on the image Seto wanted in order to teach them how to paint it, based on the pictures he emailed the manager, and his directions. Since they had a full class already booked for the day, the painting and wine party Seto wanted was to be at the mansion, in their studio, which was fine with him because it ensured their privacy, and they would be fully able to enjoy themselves.

The next step he did was make reservations for the restaurant, which was easy, and then he was doing his research on the local animal shelters to see if there were any husky puppies available, or to see what kind of dogs they had that he felt like Misty would like. There weren't any huskies available in the shelter, but there was a dog that captivated him. She had just turned a year old a couple days ago on March 21st, and she was a Catahoula leopard-lab mix. She was black and speckled silver, with big brown eyes and a loving smile. He remembered seeing a picture of a dog just like her on Misty's home screen on her phone, and decided that he would get her for Misty.

He called the shelter and made arrangements to get that speckled black and silver dog, but he would send a proxy in his place to pick her up because she was a surprise for Misty. He had them email the paperwork he needed to fill out and paid the adoption fee for her when he sent the filled out papers back. He then sent a servant to pick her up from the shelter, and take care of her until Misty's birthday.

He had Roland take the jewelry to a jewelry store to get cleaned up and shined, and then resumed his work until 6:00 when he and Mokuba started shutting things down and getting everything locked up for tomorrow. Misty had taken out her headphones and put her iPod away and walked with them down to the limo. She still wasn't in a chatty mood, so she stayed quiet. In the meantime, she occupied herself with thinking about what she wanted to do for her birthday and made a mental note to call her brother tomorrow to wish him a happy birthday.

Seto was feeling anxious about his plans for her birthday and if she would accept his proposal. She talked to Mokuba freely on the ride, and Seto listened in. It was the same throughout dinner and Misty continued to avoid him.

"Misty, what can I do to make it up to you?" Seto begged, his sapphire eyes were deep with sincerity.

"Show me that you respect me enough to listen to what I have to say when I try to help you," Misty replied in a deadpan tone.

"I do! And I'm sorry for not listening before!" Seto protested.

"Prove it," Misty retorted.

"How?!" Seto demanded exasperated.

"Next time I tell you something that I feel is important, I want you to listen and follow through without arguing with me that you know better! There is a reason I do the things I do and say the things I say! I haven't once been dishonest with you, have I? So don't treat me like that! Please try to connect to my experiences and instincts and remember that I've never lied to you; why would I have a reason to?" Misty exclaimed.

"If I promise that, will you get back to how we were before this fight?" Seto asked.

"Maybe, but you have to actually mean it," Misty said sternly as she put her hand out to shake on their deal.

"I do," Seto promised and shook her hand and pulled her close, to her surprise, for a bear hug. Misty hugged back after a moment, and then they were joined by Mokuba in the embrace. Mokuba and Seto were so relieved they could start patching things up and start getting back to how they were before. Misty sat flush against Seto and rested her head on his shoulder. He stroked her silky, dark chocolate, feathery short hair, and Misty practically purred in pleasure. Mokuba chuckled.

" _This is more like it!" Seto's inner self exclaimed sighing contently with relief._

"It's so nice to have you two made up!" Mokuba gushed happily. Misty smiled a little, and Seto was clearly relieved.

"I missed you," Seto whispered in her ear.

"I missed you too," Misty agreed and was a little surprised when Seto kissed her, but relaxed and kissed back. They spent some time relaxing together and did another duel just for fun and to get out any other stress, and later went to bed. They slept much better that night since there was no anger between them.

* * *

Saturday, March 26, -

Seto and Mokuba were up early making arrangements for everything, making sure everything was perfect. Rosa was already at work making plates of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and eggs,some fresh fruit and yogurt, along with some chocolate milk for them to drink, except for Seto, who was going to drink black coffee.

Seto and Mokuba had gone to pick the dog up from his servant, Lola, and she was cautious at first, but sniffed them and was happy.

"That's daddy!" Lola told the dog and pet her, earning a robust tail wagging. Seto wasn't sure if he liked how Lola called him "daddy."

"Why did you call me that?" Seto asked with a bit of a scowl. Lola knew he loved Misty, and she sounded creepy.

" _Oh lighten up! She was talking to the dog! Dummy!" Seto's inner self scolded him._

"You're a pet parent now, ergo, you are now this beautiful girl's daddy," Lola explained in a tone that said "Duh! Seriously? You didn't know that?" That made more sense to Seto the way Lola explained it.

" _Oh right…" Seto thought._

" _Told you!" his inner self retorted._

Lola gave her good petting and scratching, which caused the dog's back legs to scratch the air wildly, along with licking the air. "She's a silly girl!" she cooed over the dog. Seto chuckled a bit. He had to admit it was pretty amusing. This dog was certainly happy.

"What are you going to name her?" Lola asked as she gathered the dog's bed, bowl, toys, and everything else she picked up with the dog from the shelter.

"I'll let Misty come up with the name; she is her birthday surprise," Seto answered. Lola nodded.

"She is a smart little girl; she has been known to have fun playing by herself; she loves walks; is quite energetic; loves cuddling and kisses; is known to follow her caretakers around like a shadow; she's friendly, but easily gets jealous and will nudge her way into your arms to get attention; she is spayed; she knows basic commands; she is an indoor dog and only goes outside to go potty; she loves apples, carrots, peanut butter, cheese, watermelon as treats; she was born March 21, 2015; she likes to sleep outside the door of the room her people are in, if they're closed; she likes baths; she has a funny thing where she will put her butt up in the air and growl and burrow into the floor, but it's how she likes to play; she will try and herd you; she doesn't like when people mess with her paws; she gets anxious in car rides; she doesn't like going to the vet; she is microchipped and up to date on the shots; she eats 1 cup of food in the morning, and 1 cup of food in the evenings; she sheds A LOT; she does get a bit wheezy, especially when she's excited; and she is a LOT stronger than she looks," Lola instructed.

"Wow, that's a lot of information," Seto remarked.

"Yeah, but it will help you and Misty," Lola countered gently. Seto nodded. She did have a point. "And the clerk at the rescue shelter recommended we order a tag from Tags For Hope to get a driver's license type tag, and the tag sales support other shelter dogs. They looked pretty cool. I really hope Misty loves her," Lola added.

"I hope so too. This looks just like her dog on her phone from back home," Seto remarked and had Mokuba come and help get the stuff. Lola showed him how to put the turquoise harness on, and the dog was so excited. He also was surprised by her strength when she started pulling when he put the turquoise leash on her.

"Whoa!" Seto remarked and pulled the leash back.

"Sweetie, sit," Lola commanded. The dog obeyed and was panting excitedly, and her big, brown eyes were filled with bright joy. Lola rewarded her with a head scratch. "See? She's stronger than she looks. Use a firm but not too tight grip on the leash and make sure she follows your command. You must demonstrate you are her pack leader. You have her sit until you are ready to walk and enter a doorway. She must also walk at your side. Anytime she does something right, reward her," Lola instructed.

"Alright," Seto agreed. Seto then practiced what Lola was saying as he left her house, and liked how this dog was so smart and responsive, and she loved being rewarded. Mokuba and Seto were both amazed as they walked her across their enormous backyard back to the mansion. She was definitely excited and curious about everything, and pulled a bit a few times, but Seto got her under control. She stopped to relieve herself. Seto called a servant to clean it up, and then they resumed walking. Once back inside the mansion, the dog was curious and excited about her new surroundings, and even did the funny, playful thing where she would growl, burrow, and have her butt up in the air with her tail wagging wildly, while her face was on the floor. Seto chuckled and allowed her to look around while keeping an eye on her, while Mokuba slipped away with her things to Misty's room.

" _I think Misty is going to be over the moon about her," Seto's inner self predicted with a smile._

" _I hope so," Seto agreed._

Mokuba had silently crept into Misty's room, and saw she was still sleeping peacefully halfway between her left side and her stomach, slightly curled into the fetal position. Mokuba watched her carefully as he set up the dog bed, put the dog toys on the bed silently, and placed everything else the dog needed in a logical place that wasn't in Misty's way. The dog bed was near the foot of the bed on the side she was closest to. Thankfully, she hadn't woken up, and he crept out. He helped tie a bow to the dog's turquoise collar and chuckled silently as she licked his face happily. Mokuba chuckled and hugged her, not caring that she was leaving dog hair on his clothes.

"Ready to meet your mama?" Mokuba asked the dog softly, to which she wagged her tail. Seto then silently crept into Misty's room with the dog, and Mokuba right behind him. Seto came to the bed and gently helped the dog onto the bed who then went and went and licked Misty's face and wagged her tail. Misty instantly woke up feeling the kisses on her face and looked to see a speckled black and silver Catahoula-lab dog no older than a year old.

"Lulu?" Misty asked slightly disoriented and confused, not fully awake, and then realized Lulu was back home. She stirred and pet the dog.

"If that's what you want to name her," Seto replied. Misty turned and saw him and Mokuba standing over her bed with a smile.

"Hey, good morning," Misty greeted with a smile. She was so excited.

"Hey Misty! Happy Birthday!" Mokuba greeted and hugged her. Misty hugged back and then he let go.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," Seto greeted and kissed her.

"Thank you," Misty smiled as she kissed back and hugged him too. The dog nudged into Misty's arms and was so happy. "She's so beautiful!" Misty exclaimed as she hugged her new puppy. "She looks just like my Lulu at home," she remarked and started tearing up as she held her.

" _Oh my Lulu… It still hurts that she's dying… why did her kidneys have to fail her?" Misty thought sadly. She was dreading the thought of actually losing her. She wasn't sure if she could take that heartbreak so well. Lulu was her baby… she stayed home from school that day 10 years ago to ensure Lulu and her brothers and sisters were born ok, and she had fallen in love at first sight when she cleaned and held Lulu for the first time. She had picked her to keep, and they had some great years together, and she wished Lulu could have more years. Having this puppy here was like a magic button that made her Lulu young again so she could have her wish._

" _I know… I know…" Misty's inner self remarked and offered a comforting embrace as Misty cuddled the dog._

" _Thank you," Misty told her inner self gratefully._

 _Meanwhile, in Seto's head…_

" _I wasn't expecting that much of an emotional reaction from her…" Seto remarked surprised, and his heart ached for her._

"Misty? Honey? What's wrong?" Seto asked alarmed seeing her tears.

"Lulu back home is 10 years old and isn't doing too well… she's dying…" Misty replied. Saying those words felt like a knife to the heart. She still had a hard time believing that. When she had moved here, to Domino, it had been hard to adjust to her baby Lulu not being there, and knowing that she was about to head to heaven soon made the wounds feel fresh again, this time 10 fold.

"Oh Misty… I'm sorry," Seto replied and hugged her and the dog. The dog licked Misty's face as if to lick away her tears. Mokuba joined in on the hug too.

"It's alright… it's almost like having a time machine that brings me back to when Lulu was this young, and I get to have another 10+ years with her," Misty explained.

"I picked her from the shelter because I saw your picture of your dog back home and figured you would love this one like you love the one back home," Seto explained.

"I do love her," Misty assured him. She really did.

"Do you want to name this one Lulu #2?" Seto asked her.

"No… this one is different. I want Lulu to be the only Lulu. Otherwise it would feel like I'm replacing her. I did have a nickname for her back home. She was like my little shadow because she would follow me everywhere, so I think I will call this beauty Shadow," Misty replied.

"That's a suiting name. My servant Lola had told me a laundry list of things about her, and Shadow seems perfect for her. She likes to follow her caretakers around, and will sit outside the door and wait for them to come out of the room," Seto told her.

"Oh my lord, she acts like her too," Misty remarked and hugged her more. Shadow was only too happy to be having all this affection. "My silly baby girl," Misty remarked as she held her.

"Oh and her birthday was March 21st, 2015, so she's a year old." Misty held Shadow tighter and felt a few more tears.

"Lulu's birthday is also March 21st, but she was born 2006. I brought her into the world…" Misty explained. The fateful coincidences were starting to baffle her.

"Wow…" Seto and Mokuba remarked incredulously and asked if Lulu did the same things Lola said Shadow did. Misty's chocolate eyes widened.

"Oh…my… God… that's EXACTLY what Lulu does!" Misty remarked incredulously. "It's an act of God that brought a Lulu copy to me!" Misty exclaimed. "I can't wait to tell my family about this!" This was too incredible. She especially couldn't wait to see her mom's reaction, but she hoped it wouldn't make her too emotional; mom was taking Lulu's slow decline as hard as she was and was desperate to try anything to slow it.

"Misty, are you hungry by chance?" Mokuba asked changing the subject, which was a bit of a relief to Misty.

"Now that you mention it, I am," Misty replied. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be downstairs." She got out of bed, put her kimono and slippers on, and went into the bathroom, with Shadow following her and sat outside the door patiently. Seto and Mokuba were amazed how Shadow seemed to suit her perfectly. Misty used the restroom and got washed up and came out and joined them as they went downstairs to the kitchen. Shadow was behind them on the stairs and nudged them gently with her nose.

"She's herding us…" Misty observed and smiled as she remembered how Lulu did the same thing, and she would play with her by teasingly going back up the stairs and Lulu would try to herd her back down the stairs. They then sat down at their table and Shadow immediately lay down under the table at Misty's feet. Misty slipped her foot out of her slipper and used her foot to rub Shadow's back and side. Shadow wagged her tail happily. Misty almost felt like she was back home and Lulu would be lying under the table, eager to catch scraps as they fell, while warming Misty's feet. She was feeling happy.

"Good morning Misty! Happy Birthday!" Rosa greeted and put their breakfast plates down in front of them, along with the chocolate milk and black coffee.

"Thank you Rosa!" Misty smiled widely and dug into her food. The chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and yogurt, and chocolate milk certainly hit the spot. "As delicious as always, Rosa," Misty complimented her.

"Thank you Misty. I'm so glad you're enjoying it. By the way, the staff signed a card for you," Rosa told her and handed her a birthday card. Misty smiled as she opened it and saw all the signatures and sweet messages, and a gift card to one of her favorite stores.

"Tell everyone I said thank you very much! This was so sweet of y'all! I feel so blessed to have all of y'all think of me today!" Misty exclaimed happily. Seto was happy she seemed so happy.

"The fun doesn't stop here. We have a big day in store for you," Seto assured her.

"There's more?" Misty asked surprised.

"Oh yes, we have a full day of special surprises for you," Mokuba piped up.

"Thank you guys. I'm so blessed to have such amazing guys like y'all," she complimented them. Seto and Mokuba blushed.

"It's nothing," Seto said as modestly and coolly as he could.

"It's not nothing!" Misty protested. "I feel so special and loved," she told them.

"We're happy to hear that," Mokuba told her.

"Yeah," Seto agreed. They enjoyed their breakfast and Seto and Mokuba encouraged her to get showered and dressed into something sorta nice.

* * *

Misty went up to her room and found her turquoise blue rockabilly dress and a white bolero sweater, and her Mary Jane shoes. She went to her bathroom, and of course Shadow lay right by the door when she closed it. Misty got showered and beautified, put some perfume and coconut oil on, and then got dressed and put a jeweled hairband in her short hair, and then added the replacement Blue Eyes White Dragon pendant Mokuba and Seto had picked up for her not too long after she moved in. She felt pretty and amazing and wondered where they were going. She opened the door and Shadow sat up and looked at her happily and wagged her tail. "There's my happy girl!" Misty cooed and kissed her head. Shadow licked her face and followed her as she finished getting ready. "Okay my beautiful girl, we'll be back later, ok?" Shadow stared up at her human mama with a doggie grin and a wagging tail. Misty pet her and led her down the stairs and asked the servants to keep an eye on her, which they agreed. Misty thanked them for taking care of Shadow, and for the card and gift card. The servants were so happy to know that she liked the card and gift card.

* * *

Seto meanwhile, got dressed in a blue shirt and black slacks, and Mokuba wore a similar outfit. They were all going to match today. They knew she would pick a blue outfit today, since it was her absolute favorite color. Mokuba had also encouraged Sophia to wear the blue dress she wore on Valentine's Day, to which she readily agreed. Mokuba texted her that they would be there shortly to come pick her up.

"Wow! Look at you!" Mokuba remarked with a playful wolf whistle as she came in the room where they had been waiting for her. Misty giggled.

"Oh stop you!" she retorted playfully.

"You look beautiful," Seto complimented her and kissed her. Misty kissed back happily.

"Thank you guys. You look so handsome and like twins," she complimented them.

"Glad you like it," Seto replied and offered his arm. Misty smiled and took his arm and was led to the limo.

"Hey Misty! Happy Birthday! You look lovely," Edward complimented her.

"Thank you Edward," Misty beamed and got into the limo first, as usual, then Seto, and finally Mokuba. Seto and Mokuba sat on either side of her and Seto pulled her close. Misty smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder and savored his masculine scent.

"Where are we going?" Misty asked curiously.

"It's a surprise, but we're going to get Sophia first," Mokuba informed her.

"Oh nice, she's able to join us," Misty smiled. Mokuba mirrored her smile.

"Yeah, I'm glad she was able to get off today," he agreed and they went to Sophia's apartment. When they got there, Mokuba bounded out of the limo and then went and knocked at the door. Sophia answered with a grin, wearing the same blue and white striped dress she wore on Valentine's Day, and hugged and kissed Mokuba.

"Hey baby, ready to go?" Mokuba asked.

"You bet, baby," Sophia agreed and got her purse, a small gift bag and card, and her overnight bag since she was going to stay tonight, and locked up her apartment. She took Mokuba's offered arm and he helped her into the limo.

"Hey Sophia," Misty and Seto greeted.

"Hi Seto! Hi Misty! Happy Birthday!" Sophia greeted and hugged Misty, and then Seto.

"Thank you sweetie," Misty replied with a smile. Sophia then handed her the small gift bag and the card. "Aww! Sweetie! Thank you!" Misty gushed and hugged her again and read the card and smiled. It was a funny and beautiful card. Then Misty opened the small gift bag, sifting through the turquoise tissue paper and saw a beautiful silver bracelet with cerulean blue, swirled, marble-like charms. "Wow! This is beautiful!" Misty said as she admired the bracelet. Sophia beamed with pride.

"Thank you!" Misty told her and gave her another hug.

"You're welcome," Sophia replied.

"Want some help, honey?" Seto offered.

"Yes please," Misty nodded and offered her left wrist. Seto gingerly opened the clasp, put it around her wrist, and closed the clasp around the loop.

"Thanks babe!" Misty told him cheerfully and admired the bracelet on her wrist.

" _The ring is going to make a beautiful combination with that bracelet," Seto's inner self remarked confidently and excitedly. Seto mentally nodded in agreement and smiled, but was still nervous. "It's going to be ok. She's going to say yes."_

" _Thank you," Seto replied and went back to enjoying the ride._ He grabbed her left hand and squeezed it. Misty smiled and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Soon, they had arrived at the front of a luxe spa, The Golden Lotus. It looked like a small mansion, with its covered driveway supported by ornately decorated, almost Egyptian-style columns, with metallic mosaic golden lotus flowers at the top of each column; a light cream colored stucco surface on the outside, with a three-foot wide border of stone on the bottom edge of the building; long windows with bamboo blinds; bright golden lights at the doorway and in the driveway, powered by solar panels; from the covered driveway, there was a two-lane road shaded by flowering trees that led into a hidden, private parking lot; between the road and the driveway, there was a gurgling, large fountain with an ornate, swirl mosaic on the bottom well of the fountain, and it was surrounded by lush tropical plants; on the other side of the road, there was a wide expanse of space, approximately 5 acres of lush green, perfectly trimmed grass and a sporadic arrangement of trees.

"Wow!" Misty and Sophia gasped stunned at the beauty of the place.

"Ladies, you two will be enjoying a spa day today. Mokuba and I have some things to do," Seto informed them.

"Wow! Thank you honey!" Misty exclaimed and was excited. She hugged him and kissed him a little before parting.

"You're welcome. Let's get you two checked in," Seto suggested and Edward opened the door for them and helped Misty and Sophia out. Seto and Mokuba stepped out and linked arms with their ladies, escorting them inside, into the brightly lit sunshine yellow and gold lobby, which was decorated with plush evergreen and turquoise chairs and couches with an acacia wood coffee table covered with magazines; black iron brazier wall sconces; a tessellated Moroccan tile with mint green squares edged in ivory, turquoise, and then pine green rounded edged borders, golden lotus blossoms in the center of each square, and between each square were even turquoise crosses adorned with ivory swirls and golden teardrop shapes on each end of the crosses. The reception desk Seto led them to was a wavy with one rounded end acacia desk with a bright turquoise and jade glass panel that looked like water was embedded into the front of the desk. Behind the desk was a woman with mocha skin, satin-like black hair, and bright hazel eyes wearing a mint green tunic and matching pants embellished with turquoise swirls. Her brass nametag was in the shape of a lotus blossom, and it read Pasha.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Pasha asked with a warm smile as she saw Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia approaching the desk.

"These lovely ladies have a reservation today for a day of pampering, under the name Kaiba," Seto answered. Pasha looked in the reservation book and found the name Kaiba.

"Ah yes, Misty and Sophia. Allow me to escort you to the locker room and give you your robes and towels," Pasha told them and locked her computer and closed the book as she got up.

"Alright ladies, We'll come get you around 4:45, Enjoy," Seto told them and kissed Misty.

"See you at 4:45, babe," Mokuba echoed to Sophia and gave her a quick kiss before leaving with Seto.

Misty and Sophia then returned their attention to Pasha who was leading them to the locker room, but first got some silk, mint green robes and plush turquoise Egyptian cotton towels, and some flip flops for them. She told them where they could change and put their clothes and purses and gave them a few minutes to change. Before she left, Pasha wished Misty a happy birthday. Misty and Sophia got undressed and put the robes and flip flops on, put their purses and clothes in lockers next to each other, grabbed their towels, and allowed Pasha to lead them to their first treatment, a hot stone massage.

They enjoyed a good hour-long hot stone massage, then they were taken to a bath room where lotus blossoms and petals sat on top of the water, which was mixed with a mix of essential oils for aromatherapy, and 2 jars of mango sugar scrubs sat on the edge of the sunken tub, and two female aestheticians were waiting for them. Misty and Sophia got into the bath and the aestheticians started applying a mango, seaweed, and sugar poultice scrub on their face, and then put seaweed leaves on top of the poultice, leaving openings for them to see and to breathe. They instructed Misty and Sophia to just relax and soak in the tub, and in 20 minutes they would come and help them remove the masks and help apply the scrub to their bodies.

Misty and Sophia chatted happily as they waited about it being Misty's birthday and what they figured Seto and Mokuba were planning for later; Shadow, and how Sophia wished so badly she could have a pet but her landlady wouldn't allow it; and the fact that since the bullies were expelled, things have gotten a lot better at school, and she was no longer messed with. Misty was happy to hear that. The aestheticians came back in and helped remove the masks off Misty and Sophia's faces and helped them with the scrub on their body, in a professional way. They rinsed off and the aestheticians helped them out and gave them fresh towels to dry off with and their robes.

Misty and Sophia were then led to a lunch room where they ate a healthy meal of Middle Eastern food and some chocolate cake and ice cream with a candle Misty blew out after the staff sang Happy Birthday to her, before resuming the treatments. They then went and got manicures, pedicures, makeup, and their hair done before they were finished with their treatments for today. (Since Misty had short hair, hers didn't take as long.) When they saw themselves in the mirror after getting dressed again, they were glowing radiantly.

"Wow! I hardly recognize myself!" Sophia remarked stunned.

"Same here! Wow! I bet Seto and Mokuba won't even recognize us too," Misty predicted and they waited for Seto and Mokuba to come in the lobby. Seto and Mokuba arrived on time and walked right past them to the reception desk to ask Pasha where their ladies were.

"Excuse me, Pasha? Where are Sophia and Misty?" Mokuba asked.

"You walked right past them. They're over there," Pasha told them and gestured to Sophia and Misty in the lobby. Seto and Mokuba turned around and smiled and admired how radiantly refreshed they look.

"Is that… really you two?" Seto asked surprised.

"Nice of you to notice us," Misty teased.

"Wow! You two look great!" Mokuba exclaimed. Seto pulled Misty close, admiring her too.

"You look so radiant," Seto complimented her.

"Thanks honey," Misty smiled and gave him a quick kiss. Sophia also gave Mokuba a kiss.

"Ready to go?" Seto asked them.

"Yep, let's go," Misty answered and they got in the limo and headed back to the same restaurant Seto had taken Misty for Valentine's Day. Seto ordered some Moscato wine and allowed Mokuba and Sophia to have a sip.

"Wow! That's a sweet wine!" Mokuba exclaimed quietly so just Sophia, Seto, and Misty could hear.

"Yeah, it's really good. I see why you like this kind of wine, Misty," Sophia told Misty.

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"So, did you like your spa day, ladies?" Seto asked.

"Yeah! It was so relaxing and rejuvenating! Would you believe that was the first time I'd ever been to a spa and had a day like that?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, it was amazing, and a first time for me too," Sophia agreed.

"Really?" Seto and Mokuba asked.

"Yep," Misty and Sophia nodded.

"Well, I'm glad it was relaxing and that you enjoyed it," Seto replied. He was pleased that their first visit to a spa went well and they were so rejuvenated.

"Yeah. We should send you two more often, right Seto?" Mokuba piped up.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. We could get you two some spa memberships so you can go more often," Seto agreed.

"Wow," Misty and Sophia remarked. They weren't expecting that.

"You don't have to," Sophia said humbly.

"We want to," Mokuba assured her.

"Well, thank you guys. In the meantime, let's enjoy our dinner," Misty suggested.

"Alright, sure," Seto agreed and then they flagged the waiter down and ordered their food and Seto informed him that it was Misty's birthday. The waiter promised that they would make a special dessert for her, and disappeared with their order. Sophia was a little stunned by the prices, but Mokuba and Seto told her not to worry about it.

"Thank you," Sophia replied humbly and meekly.

"Thank you guys," Misty echoed with a smile.

"Our pleasure," Seto and Mokuba responded. They continued to chat for a while and enjoyed the food as it came out. Then, they brought dessert- a rich tiramisu big enough to be shared with the four of them, lit with a candle. There were a few waiters who encouraged everyone to sing Happy Birthday with them. Misty blushed a little as they sang to her and she blew out the candle. She wasn't sure what to wish for, really. Life was sweet right now, and she was blessed.

"What'd you wish for?" Seto asked her.

"Uh-uh… if I tell you, it won't come true," Misty teased.

"I can make it come true," Seto coaxed.

"Nope," Misty insisted with a teasing grin. "Now let's eat this tiramisu," she suggested.

"It's your birthday treat," Mokuba declined.

"Aw come on, I insist! Share with me! I can't eat this all by myself!" Misty coaxed and gestured them closer to grab a fork. Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba each grabbed a fork and split it with her and found it to be rich and amazing.

"That's good!" Sophia said between bites. Seto, Misty, and Mokuba all agreed, and then they finished it off, and the check came, and Seto immediately grabbed it, looked it over, and put his credit card in, and waited for the waiter to come back, which he did a few minutes later with a pen and his card and receipts. Seto signed the receipts, left an appropriate tip, and then headed back to the limo.

"Thanks honey," Misty thanked him with a quick kiss.

"Thank you Seto," Mokuba and Sophia echoed.

"You're welcome, now for the rest of your surprise today," Seto spoke up with a cool smirk.

"There's more?!" Misty remarked stunned.

"Yep. Two more," Seto replied with a smirk, hiding his growing anticipation and anxiety.

" _Will you stop worrying?! I told you she's going to say yes!" his inner self snapped at him. Seto ignored him._

"Wow!" Misty remarked slightly floored. She couldn't believe all the surprises in store today. Seto was glad she was so excited. "This has been one of the best birthdays I've had so far. Thank y'all," she told them and gave them each a hug.

"It's our pleasure, Misty. You deserve it," Mokuba assured her. Misty smiled.

"Y'all bless me so much," she complimented them as they got inside the limo and thanked Edward. Misty resumed cuddling with Seto as she had before, and Sophia cuddled with Mokuba. It wasn't long before they pulled up back at the mansion.

"…The surprises are here at home?" Misty asked a little confused.

"Yep! Come on!" Mokuba encouraged as he and Seto followed Sophia and Misty out of the limo, and eagerly led them to the studio, where everything was set up as a private painting and wine class for them, with Moscato wine, and plenty of snacks. Misty's face cracked into a wide grin. They were going to do another class, almost like on Valentine's Day, but better! It was just her, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia partaking in the class. Sure, she didn't mind other people, but it was nice to just have a painting and wine class with the people she cared about most right now.

"Hi, I'm Melanie, and I'll be your instructor for this evening's class," the instructor introduced herself. She had wild curly, dark cherry red hair, brown eyes, freckles, glasses, and wore a green paisley button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jeans, and relaxed turquoise slip on shoes.

"Hi Melanie, I'm sure you already know that I'm Misty," Misty introduced herself and shook her hand.

"Indeed. Mr. Kaiba talked about you quite a lot while we got everything set up in here," Melanie replied with a smile.

"Really? What about?" Misty asked curiously.

"Just how much he loves you and is lucky to have you in his life," Melanie answered. Misty smiled and kissed Seto's cheek. "That's so sweet babe, thank you," Misty thanked him and returned her attention to Melanie.

"Alright Melanie, now that we got the introductions out of the way, what are we going to be painting this evening?" Misty asked eagerly as she sat down beside Seto after putting her purse on the counter, and grabbed her apron.

"Ah, that's a surprise," Melanie countered. "You'll just have to follow along," she added with an impish smile, which Misty found kinda odd, but dismissed it. She looked at Seto to see if he would leave a clue, but he was even more mysterious than usual.

They got ready to start the lesson, and then Melanie carefully gave instructions to Misty, Seto, Mokuba and Sophia about how to paint the Blue Eyes White Dragon on their two canvas halves. Misty was into the lesson and started noticing that they were painting a Blue Eyes White Dragon on their canvases, along with a fiery red angel petting it lovingly, that was on her canvas, and was modeled after her. Even Seto and Mokuba were surprised with this twist, but they actually loved it. Misty and Sophia were really liking this painting too.

They took a break to enjoy their snacks and the wine while they waited for the paint to dry a little bit. (Mokuba and Sophia enjoyed other drinks instead of the wine.)

They hadn't painted the ring yet, and the closer it got to that time, the more excited and anxious Seto grew. Sure, his inner self kept encouraging that she would say yes, and that he was being an idiot to worry. He also had a plan on presenting the ring; instead of just having him on one knee holding an open ring box with the ring inside, he decided to include Shadow. He had Lola come in earlier, while Misty and Sophia were at the spa, and they had tied the ring to the ring on Shadow's collar using a smaller turquoise ribbon. Seto arranged to have her look after Shadow for a while and he would call her to give her signal to bring Shadow into the studio. Lola agreed to take care of her and bring her in.

After 20 minutes of enjoying their snacks and wine, they resumed painting. Melanie instructed them on how to paint the ring around the Blue Eyes White Dragon's neck, based on the image of the ring that Seto had produced for them when he made arrangements. Misty was puzzled seeing the ring around the Blue Eyes White Dragon neck.

"That looks like a wedding or engagement ring… Why is it around the neck of the Blue Eyes White Dragon?" Misty asked herself aloud.

" _Come on Misty, get the hint," Seto thought._ The words engagement ring kept ringing in her head, and she was focused on it now, trying to understand it.

" _Oh my gosh! He's proposing!" Misty's inner self exclaimed. Misty's chocolate eyes widened and her jaw went slack as she gasped._

" _Oh my lord! You're right! That makes so much more sense now!" Misty exclaimed in response._

"Send her in," Seto had said into his phone, to give Lola the signal to send Shadow in. He had called her while Misty was busy contemplating why the ring was there. Lola opened the door and Shadow came bounding in. Thankfully, the ring was secure on the ribbon. Shadow was panting happily and immediately ran to Misty and Seto. Mokuba immediately got out his phone and started recording video of what was about to happen.

"Hey baby girl!" Misty greeted while hugging her. Shadow licked her face and wagged her tail happily. "Were you a good girl?" Misty then saw the ring hanging by a ribbon, that was on her turquoise bow ribbon, near her tags, and she looked back at Seto, who had started to remove the ring and then sat down back on his seat and then squeezed her hand. His sapphire eyes locked onto her surprised, wide, chocolate eyes. His hand was trembling. For once in a long time, the sapphire-eyed brunet was anxious, his palms were starting to sweat, and his hands shook a little.

"Misty, I know I was a jerk, and sometimes I still am, but ever since I met you, I believe that I am a better person with you by my side, and I want to continue that way for now and evermore. Misty, will you please marry me?" Seto proposed. His heart was pounding wildly, and it felt like the world hung in the balance of her saying yes or no, and time felt like it had slowed to crawl for the agonizing seconds that followed.

"Yes I will marry you Seto," Misty answered. Seto let out a relieved gasp and he slipped the ring on Misty's finger and held her close in a stunned, relieved embrace.

" _I just proposed… and she said yes…" he thought still stunned. It felt so surreal, but he felt an overwhelming sense of elation wash over him like a tidal wave._

" _Of course she did. I told you she would," his inner self replied._ Misty gave him a kiss, to which he eagerly kissed back. When they parted to breathe, Misty admired her beautiful 18k white gold band with an art deco, floral filigree setting, with bright blue topaz and small diamonds embedded within the filigree swirls on top of the band, and a large princess cut diamond set in the center.

"Holy cow! This is stunning!" Misty exclaimed in admiration. Seto smiled happily.

"This goes with it," Seto said as he produced another box with the locket. Misty opened the box and gasped.

"Wow!" she exclaimed as she admired the heart shaped, 18k white gold locket with matching art deco, floral filigree as the ring, with a blue topaz stone set in the center.

"Open it," Seto instructed. Misty gingerly took the locket out of the box, opened it and saw three panels. In one panel, she saw Seto when he was about 5, with a huge grin on his face. In the second panel, there was a baby picture of Mokuba. Finally, in the third panel, there were two people, that Misty assumed were their parents. The lady looked beautiful with swirling, ribbon-like black hair and violet eyes, and the man had chestnut brown hair and bright azure eyes; he looked just like Seto, but a little broader. They all had bright smiles.

"Aww! Such a happy family! You and Mokuba look sooo cute as little children!" Misty gushed and showed Sophia. Seto was happy she really liked it.

"Aww! Mokuba! You look so adorable!" Sophia exclaimed and gave him a hug and a kiss. Mokuba chuckled and kissed back as he held her.

"Thanks baby," Mokuba replied with a smile.

"The locket and ring were our mother's," Seto explained. "She died when Mokuba was born, and our father died two years later, then we were dumped at the orphanage, but luckily we were able to keep these. I also have my father's wedding ring too," Seto added.

"Really? Oh Seto… I'm sorry you had to endure all that, and I'm honored you chose me to wear your mother's ring and locket. I will treasure them always," Misty promised and kissed him.

"I know you will," Seto replied as he caressed her face and held her. "By the way, my mom and dad approve of both you and Sophia. My mom came and visited me and told me herself. She also said you're like my guardian angel and I should take good care of you, and Mokuba should take good care of Sophia.

"She really came and told you that?!" Misty and Sophia exclaimed surprised. They were stunned that his mother, who passed away 18 years ago, thought so much of them from Heaven, she presumed, to come and tell him that.

"Yep. I was just as stunned as you are, but I'm so happy she approves of you, both of you," Seto replied.

"Me too!" Mokuba agreed. Misty and Sophia hugged Seto and Mokuba happily. A little later, they took pictures with their paintings, and Misty was so excited to show off her ring and locket to Melanie and the staff, especially Roland, Rosa, Edward, and Hari, while Shadow bounded behind her happily. The staff was happy she was going to be marrying Seto; she was like the ray of sunshine he needed. They all congratulated her and then Melanie went home. Soon, Seto caught Misty and instructed Mokuba and Sophia to look after Shadow for tonight. Seto swept Misty off her feet and carried her to his bedroom.

"What are you up to?" Misty asked surprised to be in his room. Seto locked the door and smirked, and Misty understood. She wasn't going to stop him. Seto smiled and kissed her passionately, to which Misty reciprocated.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Misty asked between kisses.

"Yes," Seto declared without hesitation. "I want you to feel every bit of how much you mean to me. I want to have that bond with you," he added as he started to kiss her neck, making her moan and tilt her head to give him better access. He carried her to the sapphire, silk-sheeted bed and sat her down. He pulled away and smiled at her, his sapphire eyes gazing into her chocolate eyes. He caressed her face tenderly.

"Do you feel ready?" Seto asked her. He was already feeling electrified, but he wasn't going to force her if she wasn't ready. He wanted this to be special.

"Yes," Misty assured him. She wasn't going to lie… she HAD fantasized about it, but didn't want to push it with him, but since he was ready, she had no qualms; she was going to let him carry her away on a torrential river current of love and passion. Seto smiled and kissed her gently, and then started to intensify it. Their tongues were doing a wild, Argentine tango against each other, parting only to breathe.

 **If you do NOT want to read a fairly graphic sex scene with clinical terminology, please skip this MARKED section. You won't miss too much.**

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Seto resumed kissing down her neck towards her collarbone, and the tops of her soft, exposed cleavage, making Misty arch up and moan. Seto was starting to get excited, and could feel his pants getting a little tighter as his penis was just starting to get hard from the excitement of him starting to turn Misty on. He slipped off her white bolero sweater and tossed it to the floor, kissing her collarbone and her shoulders as he started to slip off the straps of her turquoise blue rockabilly dress from her shoulders.

"Let me help you," Misty told him with a seductive smirk as she reached behind her back with both hands and started to unzip the dress, making it looser and easier to remove. Seto smiled and kissed her lips once more.

"Thank you," Seto replied as he started to slide the dress off her body, leaving her in only her underwear. She was beautiful, and so soft. She had curves galore; her hips, thighs, and butt were ample; and she had fierce tiger-stripe stretchmarks along with the faded scars from her burns. Seto was utterly fascinated by her soft curves.

" _Wow," his inner self remarked as he also admired her body from her shiny, short, dark chocolate hair feathered on his pillow covered by the sapphire silk sheets; her beautiful face with those wild chocolate eyes smirking up at him, matching the smirk playing at her full, red lips; her lightly heaving breasts caged by that infernal bra; down the soft curves of her belly; her soft and ample hips and thighs; and down her strong calves to her beautifully pedicured feet._ Every part he admired, he got just a little harder and more excited, especially when she invited him to explore her body with his hands. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as his hands kneaded, caressed and squeezed every inch of her body that was not covered by her underwear.

"Oh Seto, that feels so nice," Misty told him.

" _Yeah it does," her inner self agreed and purred in pleasure._ Seto took delight and continued to excitedly explore her body, this time leaving kisses where he touched. She arched up a bit more in response to him kissing down her body.

" _Wow! This is so hot!" Seto's inner self exclaimed and felt a little overwhelmed by the sensations flooding Seto's body._ Seto's pants meanwhile started to feel too tight, so he had to pull away and pause.

"Babe? You alright?" Misty asked gently as she squeezed his hand.

"Yeah… I… I…just need a minute," Seto replied as he squeezed back, trembling a little from the overwhelming tidal waves of erotic pleasure crashing over him. He didn't want to explode too soon.

"Okay," Misty agreed as she relaxed a little, but she was just feeling warmed up and aroused. He still had a lot more to do, and she wanted him to be able to handle it all. "Why don't you get comfortable now?" Misty suggested with a flirtatious smile as she sat up. "Want me to help you?" she offered.

"Yes," Seto accepted. He knew his hands would fumble too much right now with the anticipation, excitement, and slight nervousness and inexperience, and he was feeling too uncomfortable with his clothes on, especially in his groin. His penis was throbbing so much right now. Misty kissed him as she removed his jacket, tie, and then started unbuttoning his shirt, exposing his pale, strong, and taught torso.

"Please! They're…so constricting!" Seto begged.

"Alright, take it easy," Misty replied gently as she kissed him, which only made his penis throb more. He kissed back with an intense hunger. She got the shirt off and gasped shocked at the scars on his back.

"Seto! What happened to your back?!" Misty asked alarmed.

"Talk about them later!" Seto demanded and tried to take deep breaths.

"Alright," Misty agreed and went to the belt at his pants, and unbuckled it. Seto was trembling as she was so close to his throbbing and aching penis, and more so when she unbuttoned his pants and unzipped the zipper. Seto then immediately yanked his pants, sapphire silk Versace boxers, and dressy socks down and off his long, lean, pale legs, letting his engorged 7 in. long, circumcised, penis spring free. He took a sharp breath at the relief he felt now that he was free and naked, but the throbbing was still there as he sat on the bed.

" _Please hang on," his inner self encouraged him._

" _I'm trying!" Seto snapped back and was taking deep breaths_. Misty then took a turn caressing his lean, pale body, starting with his neck, broad shoulders, down his toned, long arms to his fingers. She intertwined his fingers with hers and gave him a kiss, before resuming her hands' journey down his body. She squeezed his pectorals and let her fingers tease his nipples. Seto arched and moaned at her touch and continued to try and calm down, but with every caress, he felt his resolve chipping away. He also felt slightly self-conscious and wondered what she was thinking about his body.

" _I think she's enjoying your body and thinks you're handsome," his inner self assured him. Seto nodded satisfied._

" _Wow! He has such an amazing, and lean body! I'm loving how his lean muscles feel, I love how he responds to me, and that length on his penis looks good too," Misty thought._

" _Indeed!" her inner self agreed._ Misty caressed his abdominals and he moaned, groaned and bucked up; she was so close to his throbbing penis. Misty decided to tease him and then caressed his thighs, which earned an exasperated and frustrated growl.

"Stop teasing me!" Seto commanded.

"Teasing you is fun," Misty countered and continued to caress down his legs to his feet, and started to work her way back up his legs. Seto was all the more excited. He bucked upwards, closer to her, desperate for her to rub his penis and testicles. He was panting heavily and desperately.

" _Why does she have to torture me?!" Seto exclaimed in his head. "I can't take much more!"_

" _But you like this kind of torture… and you'll be rewarded soon enough," his inner self reassured him._

" _Not soon enough!" Seto snapped back._ Misty got up to his viciously throbbing penis and started to do a joystick grasp to help him relax a little. Seto was surprised, but was thankful for the slight relief. Misty smirked a little as she started to rub and squeeze his penis and testicles, which made Seto gasp and buck up in pleasure. He was really enjoying how she was rubbing and squeezing him, but soon he wanted more. He gripped his sapphire silk sheets tightly as he bucked up.

"Oh Misty!" Seto exclaimed and was panting desperately.

"Do you want to drive me crazy?" Misty offered, whispering seductively into his ear.

"Yes!" Seto exclaimed with a guttural, primal growl. He immediately flipped her so he was on top of her. Seto then fumbled with her bra, growling to himself.

"Hang on," Misty said as she sat up. He waited impatiently and was trembling with anticipation and excitement. Misty then unhooked her bra and slid the straps down her arms and tossed it down, leaving herself bare-breasted. Seto let out a guttural moan as his sapphire eyes took in her round breasts. He immediately squeezed them and shuddered and moaned. They were so firm but so soft, and fit in his hands perfectly. Misty moaned with him and arched her chest up. Seto continued to squeeze and knead her breasts and thumbed her dusky rose nipples. Misty moaned in pleasure.

"Oh Seto!" Misty exclaimed and was enjoying his fondling. Seto then gently pushed her back onto the bed. He kissed her sweet lips and then down her neck. Misty moaned and gripped his hair and tilted her head to give him better access. He kissed down her collarbone to the tops of her breasts, and then all over them. Misty continued to grip his hair and arched up, moaning. Seto was so thrilled to be causing such a reaction from her, and he decided he wanted to try something. He then put his lips to her nipple and let his tongue and teeth caress it, and then started to suck on it. Misty moaned arching up and gripped his chestnut hair more, which only caused Seto to get harder, earning a groan and a growl. Seto continued sucking and teasing, and found he really liked it, and she seemed to enjoy it too. He shifted his attention to her other nipple, and earned a similar response.

"Oh Misty," Seto moaned.

"Oh Seto," Misty responded. Seto smiled and continued suckling and teasing for a while before kissing down her soft belly down her hips. Misty relaxed her grip on his hair, and he decided to rub and kiss her legs, and then came back up. He paused as he reached her panties, and with trembling hands from excitement, he grabbed the edge and slipped them down her legs, leaving her naked underneath him. She blushed a little, especially as his sapphire eyes drank in the sight of his beautiful sweetheart beneath him. She was so natural, soft, and beautiful. He shuddered in excitement and joy; it felt like looking at the holy grail. He had seen pictures of what a vulva looked like, particularly when they got educated about the reproductive system at the clinic, but it was utterly fascinating to see it in real life, on his sweetheart.

"M-may I touch?" Seto asked a little nervously and excitedly. Misty gazed up at him with her chocolate eyes and then smiled and nodded. Seto let out an involuntary excited gasp and then slowly traced his hands over her shaggy mons pubis, down to her labia, and started to rub. Misty moaned louder as his fingers traced over her slick folds, and she bucked up to his hand when he rubbed her clitoris.

"Oh Seto!" Misty exclaimed panting excitedly as her hands gripped the silk, sapphire sheets tightly. Seto smirked as he found a weak spot that would have her begging him to take her shortly. He took a moment to calm down, because he wanted to see her writhe in pleasure, and it was hard to concentrate on that when his penis was throbbing so hard, begging to be inside her. After a moment of collecting himself, Seto decided to continue exploring her slick folds and continued to rub her clitoris, eager to see more of her reaction. She moaned and bucked into his hand, and closed her eyes in pleasure. She gripped the sheets tighter and was going crazier the more vigorously he rubbed her clitoris.

"Oh Seto!" Misty exclaimed and was panting. Seto smirked in delight and then found the entrance to her vagina, so he decided to try and rub her on the inside and find that G-spot, based on what he remembered during the lesson on the reproductive systems. He inserted his long middle finger inside of her moist vagina and started to caress the top walls, looking for the spot, while his thumb rubbed her clitoris on the outside. Misty was moaning and bucking wildly and gripped the sheets in an almost white death grip.

"Oh Misty!" Seto exclaimed as he marveled at her wild response to his internal caresses. He couldn't hang on much longer! Misty was already feeling like she was floating up to space, being only lightly tethered to her body. "Please! Misty! I need you now!" Seto exclaimed desperately.

"Fill me!" Misty commanded. Seto let out a guttural moan of relief when he heard that, and eagerly but gently spread her thighs so he would have room to take her and thrust. He lifted a spare pillow with a decorative pillowcase on it and propped her hips up, and held on as the tip of his penis found her vagina and slowly pushed into her slick vaginal canal, and they both let out loud moans of ecstatic pleasure, and they were just getting started. Seto stared into her wild, chocolate eyes with his now brighter sapphire eyes and was panting excitedly and kissed her passionately and laced fingers with hers and started gently thrusting at first, making both of them moan together.

"Oh Misty! You feel so good!" Seto exclaimed.

"So do you! You feel so strong and thick, my sexy dragon!" she complimented him. Seto smirked pleased to hear that, and then started to go a little faster and harder, and finally settling into a rhythm he and Misty both liked. The more he thrusted wildly into her, the more Misty felt like she was floating away into space. Seto growled a bit in pleasure and was getting so close to exploding.

"Misty! I'm so close!" he exclaimed desperately.

"Me too!" Misty replied honestly. Seto was relieved that she was close, but was determined to make her orgasm first. He growled and pumped harder and faster, giving it all he had. After about a minute of doing that, Misty gasped sharply and orgasmed, earning an animalistic growl from Seto as he exploded into her. After filling her with his seed, Seto was panting exhaustedly and he felt like a jellyfish. Misty was also panting and had a starry glaze over her chocolate eyes.

 **We shall now resume our regular reading.**

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Seto smiled happily and kissed her softly and tenderly, to which she responded, and slowly started coming back to earth. They parted from the kiss only to breathe, and then resumed for a little longer. Seto lay beside her on his mussed silk sheets and gazed at her tenderly and oh so happily; he was now forever bonded to this fiery angel lying beside him, and he couldn't wait for her officially be his wife. He caressed her face tenderly and kissed her head, then pulled her close against him so she was resting on his chest, listening to his heart. He caressed her back and arm. Misty smiled at him, still reeling from the trip to space she just experienced with him. He was hers, and she was his. She could hardly wait for their wedding and their life together.

"What are you thinking about?" Misty asked him.

"How I can't wait for you to officially be my wife and our life together," Seto replied.

"Me too. This has been the most INCREDIBLE day and night. One of my absolute best birthdays ever. Thank you," Misty replied with a kiss. Seto smiled and kissed back wrapping his arms around her tight.

"I love you," Seto whispered in her ear. Misty smiled.

"I love you too," Misty whispered back. She caressed his back in the embrace and felt the scars. "Seto? Now will you tell me about the scars?"

"…Alright," Seto agreed and took a breath. He could still feel the fresh, sharpness of the pain, even though it was forever ago. "When Gozaburo adopted us, he essentially treated me worse than an animal. I was a slave. I was ALWAYS studying and working. I hardly got ANY sleep, and he would have his horrible servant Hobson and the teachers whip, beat, and torture me if I 'slacked off.' I was also not allowed to see Mokuba for too long. I worked so hard to make good on the promise I made Mokuba to give him the good life he always deserved, by coming into power and overthrowing Gozaburo, and eventually I did, and then some. The way he groomed me, kinda shaped me into the asshole I had been… but then I was given a second chance… I got you.

"You taught me how to be human again... and love. Before you miraculously appeared, I was essentially a cold, heartless machine… always working, and never given a real opportunity to rest. I had to learn the hard way that I needed to change, but I'm glad I did. I'm forever thankful you came to me, and I can't lose you, ever. I would fall apart without you. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. That time when you weren't speaking to me tore me apart. I didn't know what to do," Seto told her and held her close.

"Oh Seto," Misty replied and hugged back feeling sad that he was treated that way, and then touched when he said how much she meant to him. They stayed in their embrace for a while, and then pulled apart just a little to get more comfortable, but then found themselves back in their embrace. Everything just felt so right and perfect now. Eventually, they drifted off into sleep and into the fantastical dream realm, where they wandered happily, together.

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 **A/N:** I hope y'all enjoyed the sweetness and spiciness of ch. 12.

Remember to leave a review! New, Fresh Reviews bring new chapters! (I am currently working on 13 presently. It's just taking a while because it's LONG and I have been held up with a school/externship prep blitz, along with work, but I am making progress little by little.)


	13. Homecoming and Prom

**A/N:** Hello my readers! It's finally out! This monster took MONTHS to finish, so I hope y'all enjoy it. (38 pages!) It was a bit emotional for me, but next chapter will be even more so. Also, there is a bit of sex in this chapter. There are some parts where it's just briefly mentioned, and near the end, there is a big lemon section, with Mokuba and his girlfriend. Don't worry, I marked where it begins and ends in case y'all want to skip it. (And yes, Mokuba and Sophia are at least 18.)

I also want to of course thank my loyal patron james. collins. 77770 for his review that released 13 as soon as it was finished, and of course Dark-Kokoro for her parts with Sophia.

In any case, enjoy, and DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW THIS CHAPTER AND PREVIOUS CHAPTERS TO GUARANTEE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ch. 14!

P.S.- Happy Early Anniversary to this version of the story! Already been 1 year since I first posted this version!

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The next morning, Misty stirred as she felt the warm rays from the sun filtering in through Seto's window pouring over them. She smiled as she saw Seto sleeping still, holding her close against his handsome, lean, naked body with a smile of utter peace and happiness plastered on his face. She couldn't help gazing at his peaceful sleeping face for a little while, but then had to use the restroom. She slowly got out of his arms, and he tried to resist and pull her back.

"I'll be right back," she whispered to him.

"Promise?" Seto mumbled in his sleep.

"I promise," Misty whispered with a kiss, and she felt his arms relax a little.

"Hurry back," Seto mumbled.

"I will," Misty promised and got out of his arms and walked to the bathroom feeling blissful. She used the restroom, washed up, and came back to the bed. Immediately Seto wrapped his arms around her again and held her close. She nestled against him and felt him kiss her head. He slowly opened his sapphire eyes and smiled lazily at her. "Good morning, my sweet dragon," Misty greeted softly, using his nickname. Seto kissed her lips.

"Good morning, my fiery angel," Seto greeted back. Misty smiled at the nickname he gave her. "Are you sore?" Seto asked gently as he caressed her face.

"No, I'm not," Misty answered honestly. "Are you?"

"Just a little," Seto admitted. Misty chuckled.

"Well you were wild last night," Misty pointed out.

"Yeah. It was definitely worth it though. It was utterly fantastic," Seto told her as he caressed the short hair from her face. Misty leaned her head into his hand.

"Oh yes it was," Misty agreed and then remembered something… it was Easter. "Hoppy Easter. Did you have any plans for today?" Misty asked.

"Nah, not really. I usually don't celebrate Easter; I usually work," Seto answered. Misty nodded.

"Well, I suppose we can hang out here today instead, if you want. We can also plan our wedding," Misty suggested.

"Sure, we can do that," Seto agreed. That sounded so nice. He was curious to hear her ideas, though frankly he would've been happy just to take her to city hall, or even Vegas to get married; it didn't matter where or when, just as long as he had her there.

" _I think a proper wedding is better," his inner self piped up._

" _Yeah," Seto agreed._

"Ok, first things first…when should we get married?" Misty asked. It was better to plan around a solid date first and allow everything to fall into place from there.

"Well, maybe a few weeks?" Seto suggested.

"How many weeks are we talking?" Misty asked. She wanted to know how much time they had to plan.

"How about 9 weeks or so, at the end of May?" Seto suggested casually.

"That's a good timeframe," Misty agreed. Yeah, she knew it was sudden, but she didn't care; she wasn't getting any younger and it felt utterly right.

"Yeah," Seto agreed. "Do you want to get married in San Antonio, or do you have any other ideas on where you want to get married? We can do anything you want," Seto offered.

"I think San Antonio is the best bet, that way all my family can be there," Misty replied.

"How big is your family?" Seto asked.

"About 40 in my local family, and I have a lot more distant relatives. I might have 10 or so come in from Seguin from my extended family. I don't think really many, if any, of my Northern and Western relatives will come," Misty responded. "So yeah, not only are you getting me, but you're also getting a HUGE family behind me."

"Wow," Seto remarked surprised.

"Yeah, but the good thing is, most of my family is pretty close. Are you excited to know what a big family is like?"

"Mokuba and I had dreamed of having a big family when we were children. We had dreamed that parents would come adopt us and we'd have a big family to love us," Seto replied.

"Well, I guess your wish is coming true, just in a different form," Misty pointed out.

"Yeah," Seto smiled, and then looked worried. "So, you're pretty close to them. Do you think they'll like me?"

"Of course. As long as you treat me well, they'll welcome you openly," Misty assured him with a smile. Seto looked just a little relieved.

"Were there any family members who were marrying into your family who didn't treat their spouse well?" Seto asked.

"Yes," Misty admitted.

"What happened to them?"

"They were cast out. Let's leave it at that," Misty answered.

"Well then I'll make sure I treat you right," Seto vowed.

"We'll hold you to that," Misty replied seriously.

"You have my word!" Seto declared.

"I accept," Misty agreed and they kissed on it to seal the deal. "What kind of theme should we have?"

"Theme?" Seto asked confused. He was pretty clueless when it came to wedding planning. He honestly didn't care. All he cared about was having her become his wife.

"What kind of theme should it be? We can do a tropical theme, a medieval theme, a particular color theme, a country/rustic theme, a masquerade theme," Misty offered.

"Honey, the theme means little to me. All I care about is you officially becoming my wife," Seto replied and caressed her face.

"Ok, I was just hoping for a direction to help with wedding planning is all. I want to plan it together, hence why I'm asking you for your opinions," she replied. Seto sighed.

"How about we do a Blue-Eyes theme? We can have silver, blue, and white colors, and have Blue-Eyes White Dragons decorations," Seto offered. Misty smiled.

"It's perfect. See? That wasn't so bad," Misty replied in a slightly playful tone and kissed him.

"Yeah," Seto agreed with a smile. "Alright, let's worry about it a little later and go eat breakfast," Seto suggested as he got up and used the restroom. Misty watched his sexy body go as he went in, and felt her stomach rumble. She got up and got dressed into her clothes from yesterday since she didn't have anything else. Seto was relieved as he used the restroom and washed up and got dressed into some pajamas. He then walked with Misty downstairs to the kitchen, where Rosa had pancakes, eggs and bacon ready for them, and Sophia and Mokuba were already eating.

"Hey, good morning," Mokuba and Sophia greeted them as they came in.

"Good morning," Seto greeted.

"Good morning. Hoppy Easter," Misty greeted. Shadow immediately came running up to greet her human mama and daddy.

"There's my silly baby!" Misty greeted Shadow and gave her a hug and a kiss on the head while Shadow wagged her tail wildly and licked her face. "Were you a good girl for Mokuba and Sophia?" Misty asked as Shadow continued to be happily giving affection.

"Yes she was. We played with her for a little while, and then she just happily lay down on her bed," Mokuba answered.

"Good girl!" Misty praised Shadow and then she and Seto joined Sophia and Mokuba at the table and Rosa put their breakfast in front of them. "Thank you Rosa. It's as great as always," Misty praised with a smile as she dug in and enjoyed her breakfast.

"Thank you Misty," Rosa replied with a smile and set about doing her chores. Shadow immediately lay under the table on Misty's feet and was happily relaxing there. Misty was petting her with her foot, earning a tail wagging. When Misty, Seto, Sophia, or Mokuba accidentally dropped a scrap, Shadow would sniff and lick up the scraps. Misty had made sure that each scrap that had fallen to the floor was something that wouldn't harm her sweet girl. If it was something harmful to her, she would tell Shadow "No! Leave it!" and then pick it up and put it on a separate napkin. Misty explained that because dog metabolisms were different from humans, some foods are toxic to them.

"Really?" Mokuba and Seto asked.

"Yes," Misty answered matter of factly.

"What foods are toxic to dogs? I don't want to accidentally give Shadow something that could make her sick or kill her," Mokuba asked worriedly. Misty got on her phone and looked up all the foods that could be toxic to dogs

"Chocolate can definitely be toxic to them, especially with nuts; grapes and raisins; avocadoes; onions; garlic; coffee, tea, and other caffeinated things; milk and dairy products; macadamia nuts; candy and gum; fat trimmings and bones; persimmons, peaches, and plums; raw eggs; raw meat and fish; salt; sugary foods and drinks; yeast dough; nutmeg; alcohol; and baking soda and powder," Misty explained.

"What can dogs eat that are okay?" Seto asked.

"Well, they can eat cooked bread; plain cooked pasta; plain cooked rice; cooked eggs; apples, cantaloupe, watermelon, oranges, blueberries, and bananas, just no seeds if you give them any of those; plain potatoes, sweet potatoes; cooked meat with fat and bones removed; carrots; cucumbers; zucchini; lettuce; bell peppers; corn cut off the cob; celery; steamed: green beans, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and hard winter squash; unsalted peanut butter; cheese; and hot dogs. Just remember to give them only as treats every so often," Misty instructed.

"Alright, we got it," Seto, Mokuba, Sophia, and Rosa acknowledged.

"Good," Misty nodded. When Rosa cleared the dishes, they thanked her and then Misty heard the signature Skype ringtone on her phone. She was surprised and was not expecting that. She looked to see who was Skyping her, and it was her mom.

"Who is it?" Seto asked curiously.

"My mom," Misty replied puzzled and answered. "Hey mom," Misty greeted.

"Hey babe," her mother greeted. "I wanted to wish you a happy birthday." (fyi, Japan is approximately 14 hours ahead of the US)

"Thanks mom," Misty replied.

"You're welcome. We miss you over here. How was your birthday?"

"I miss y'all too. It was incredible. I was woken up with a puppy that looks and acts just like Lulu, I had an amazing breakfast, my friend Sophia and I had an amazing spa day, I had dinner with Sophia, Seto, and Mokuba, and a private and incredible painting and wine class here at the mansion… and I'm engaged," Misty replied.

"What? You're engaged? To whom?" her mother asked stunned.

"My boss," Misty replied.

"Misty! You're marrying your boss?! What have I told you about fishing off the company pier? And he didn't even ask for our blessing!" her mother told her annoyed.

"I know mom, but how is he supposed to get your blessing and such if it's already tough to communicate as it is? Also, I'm 29 years old, I can marry who I want, and everything's been so right with him. I'm not getting any younger," Misty protested.

"…Alright," her mother relented, but was still annoyed.

"Anyways, how's my girl?" Misty asked changing the subject. Her mother sighed heavily.

"She's getting worse…" her mom told her and was sad.

"…I see… what's going on?" Misty asked.

"She's getting really lethargic, she is hurting, she coughs loudly, I have to pick her up and put her on the bed and take her off, she throws up occasionally, she doesn't eat as much. She does get some bursts of energy, but she gets tired easily," her mom described.

"Aww… my poor baby…" Misty lamented. "How much time does she have left?"

"About 3 weeks at most," her mother replied and there was a hitch in her voice. "Another reason I was calling… I wanted to see if you could come in a week and help me look after her during the day, and spend time with her before she goes," her mother requested.

"Yeah, we'll do that," Misty agreed. She wanted to be there for her baby girl and help make her comfortable on her last days. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. Seto was immediately concerned and squeezed her hand and had a questioning look on his face.

"Ok, thank you babe. I'll see you in a week. Oh, and we're having a birthday party for you and your brother at BJ's next week too. Anything you want?" her mother asked.

"Hmm… cash, gift cards, maybe a new purse and wallet, some blouses and jeans. More or less just whatever," Misty suggested.

"Alright, I'll tell the family."

"Alright, Seto and I will see you next week," Misty promised.

"Alright. Love you babe," her mom bade.

"Love you too mom," Misty bade and hung up and her head sank a little.

"Misty? What's wrong?" Seto asked gently as he put his hand on her shoulder. Misty couldn't help letting some more tears fall. "Please tell me," Seto asked.

"What is it Misty?" Mokuba and Sophia asked.

"Lulu is getting worse… she's got about 3 weeks left…" Misty answered breaking a little.

"Aww Misty… I'm sorry…" Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia told her and hugged her. Shadow nosed her way in to be part of the love fest. Misty hugged them back and calmed down a little.

"Mom wants me to be there next week to help look after her during the day, and be there until she passes," Misty told them.

"And you want me to come with you?" Seto asked. Misty nodded.

"You can meet my family, we can help with my Lulu during the day, relax in the evenings and explore a bit, and also do some planning," Misty suggested.

"Alright," Seto agreed. "As long as I get to do work on my laptop while I'm there during the day," he bargained.

"Deal, but when we leave for the evening, your work ends for the day, just like at the office," Misty countered.

"Deal," Seto agreed. They kissed on the deal.

"Next weekend is prom," Sophia piped up. "We still need to get our prom clothes. Could we go shopping today? It'll be our only chance to do it before prom," Sophia requested. True, they could've gone shopping for the dress and the tux on a previous weekend, but with all the hectic activity that had been going on, it slipped their minds and seemed unimportant at the time.

"Sure thing," Misty replied with a warm smile. Sophia smiled back. She was excited to go shopping with Misty; she really looked up to her like a second mom, or even a big sister. Yeah, it would've been nice to have her mom shop for prom with her too, but 1) her mom was still distraught after her father was arrested and 2) she wasn't exactly close to her mom. She did love her mom, and her mom loved her, but doing things together was awkward at best. When she did things with Misty though, she felt safe, cherished, important, and relaxed.

"After breakfast, we'll get cleaned up and ready and then go," Misty outlined.

"Sounds good," Mokuba and Sophia agreed. Misty was glad for the diversion; it would help keep her mind off her sweet baby Lulu.

"So what colors are y'all thinking of wearing?" Misty asked. Mokuba looked at Sophia. He was going to let her make that decision and go along with it.

"I was thinking purple," Sophia replied.

"Great choice! Alright, purple," Misty acknowledged and Sophia smiled. Mokuba nodded and smiled at her.

" _She'll look so great in purple," he thought._

" _Definitely regal and princess like," his inner self agreed. "That means you should wear a tux with a purple vest and tie."_

" _Alright," Mokuba agreed._ Rosa assured them that she had everything taken care of with the dishes and encouraged them to go have fun shopping. She put her curly brown and tinsel hair up in a bun and then started working on washing the dishes.

"Thank you Rosa," Misty, Sophia, Seto, and Mokuba thanked her and then went to get showered and ready. Naturally, Shadow followed Misty to the room and waited by her bathroom door while she showered and got ready. Before Misty shut the door behind her, she kissed Shadow's head and gave her a good scratching, then got in the shower and emerged wearing a short sleeve lavender dress with a belt, and a matching headband. She put some comfortable sandals on her feet and finished getting ready. She then walked downstairs and sat on the couch with her purse and one of Shadow's toys, waiting for Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia to come down once they were ready. As she waited, she played a game of fetch in the room with Shadow, and sometimes chased her around the room playfully. She was having fun playing with her, and it reminded her of how energetic Lulu used to be.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Seto got showered and ready, he kept fantasizing about last night, but then it was replaced by concern as Misty seemed upset about her Lulu. He had never really understood why people got so upset about losing their dogs, cats, or other pets.

" _They are not just pets. They are best friends and sometimes a furry, surrogate child," his inner self tried to explain. "The pets provide loyalty, protection, love, and companionship in exchange for love and care from their humans." Seto still wasn't sure he quite got it._

" _Okay think of it this way. Mokuba is like your best friend and like a surrogate child to you, right?" his inner self asked._

" _Yeah?" Seto responded and encouraged his inner self to continue._

" _Now imagine if he was dying. Misty said that her Lulu is dying from kidney failure, so let's imagine Mokuba has that, and has a short time left. How would you feel?" his inner self asked, hoping he grasped the concept. Seto felt like he got hit in the heart and face with a pulsating jackhammer as he imagined Mokuba dying from kidney failure. He would be in utter misery if he lost Mokuba, possibly deep enough Misty wouldn't be able to pull him out._

" _Relax, take a breath, this is just hypothetical," his inner self reassured him. "At least you can be reassured that it's not happening for him. Now you can also understand why people get so upset with losing their beloved pets and why they get so upset when people say 'it's just a dog/cat/whatever'. That is insensitive," his inner self explained._

" _Alright," Seto nodded in understanding. He sighed and then got out and got dressed and ready._

" _I hope there is something I can do to help Misty so she is not completely overcome by grief while we're in San Antonio," Seto said a little despondently. He had only really felt it maybe twice in his whole life when he was a child, when he lost his parents, so he wasn't sure how well he could comfort her._

" _Just be patient with her, offer her affection when she wants it, tell her to remember the good times she had with Lulu, and maybe distract her in the evenings with wedding planning and having her show you around town, and perhaps some lovemaking, IF she feels like it. She seems to be okay when her mind is busy with other things for the time being," his inner self advised. Seto nodded. That made sense. Being busy helped keep his mind off things when he was upset too. "Oh! And what are you going to do with Shadow while you're in San Antonio with her? Are you going to take her with?"_

" _That's a good question…" Seto hadn't thought about what they would do with Shadow._

" _Maybe you could bring her with?" his inner self offered._

" _We'd have to see what Misty says, otherwise, Mokuba and Sophia can take care of her while we're there," Seto strategized._

" _Good plan," his inner self complimented him. "Having Shadow around might exacerbate her grief, the hotel might not allow pets, and I think Misty would be stressed about transporting her and taking care of her while dealing with so much," his inner self reasoned._

" _Yeah, true," Seto agreed._

" _Let's get back to thinking about it later. Right now, we have to focus on Mokuba and Sophia," his inner self changed the subject._

" _Right," Seto agreed._ Helping his brother find a great tux for prom would be a welcome distraction. He finished getting ready, and came down and found Misty having fun playing with Shadow. He smiled and sat down on the couch and watched.

"You two are nuts!" he teased.

"Yeah, so?" Misty retorted playfully. Shadow simply had a big grin on her face and was panting, and then went to Seto and nudged him. "She wants you to play too."

"Alright," Seto consented and then played a little bit of tug of war and fetch with Shadow, and was amused at how much she enjoyed it.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Mokuba and Sophia got ready in separate rooms, they were so excited about going shopping for their prom outfits and how nice prom was going to be. It was going to be one of their best, big date nights. Sophia was excited to feel like a princess for one night for once in her life, on the arms of her handsome and sweet prince charming. Mokuba was excited more for Sophia's sake than anything, and the fact that he was spending one of the biggest nights of his school year with her. If he hadn't met her, he would've just hung out at home during prom, but since he was with her, she deserved a night where she could feel like and look like a princess. Sophia wore a blue knee-length skirt, and a blue and white blouse, while Mokuba was wearing a black shirt, jeans, and sneakers. When they came downstairs, they chuckled seeing Seto and Misty playing with Shadow, and he had to get it on video. Sure, Seto had been more relaxed and willing to have fun with him and Misty lately, but this was the first time Mokuba had seen his brother acting almost like a kid again, at least in a LONG time.

Soon, Shadow got tired and was panting heavily and then went to drink copious amounts of water from her big water bowl. Seto and Misty then grabbed a lint roller and took turns rolling it down their clothes to get the dog hair off. Misty then kissed Shadow's head and earned a lick back.

"Ok my silly girl, you be a good girl for the staff ok? We'll see you later," Misty bade and Shadow's tail vibrated happily. She then went and lay on her bed with one paw folded under and was panting happily while Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia exited the mansion and got into the limo and Edward had driven them to a shopping district with formal stores, which were crowded with last minute, week-before-prom shoppers.

"Ok, let's divide and conquer. You guys go look at tuxes with purple accessories, and Sophia and I will find her a prom dress, and while we're there we'll see if we can find wedding dresses and such," Misty suggested.

"Smart," Seto complimented her. "I suppose we can look for wedding outfits too. What color should we look for, for the wedding?"

"Ice blue," Misty replied and showed him a picture of the color she had in mind. Seto nodded.

"Of course. Here, take this," Seto said as he gave her some money for their shopping. He had given her about $2,000 worth of money.

"Aww, thanks babe," Misty replied and gave him a quick kiss as she put the money in her wallet and put it back in her purse.

"You're welcome," Seto replied and then they parted amongst the throng of teenagers and their parents. Both pairs had battled the crazy horde of people, and both pairs each found a quieter shop to begin their search. Seto and Mokuba looked at tuxes and the different purple and ice blue vests and ties.

"What colors are you and Misty going to have at the wedding?" Mokuba asked Seto curiously as they browsed.

"Well, we're going to have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon theme and the colors are going to be white, blue, and silver," Seto answered. Mokuba smiled.

"Who picked the theme, you or her?" Mokuba asked with a grin.

"I did, but she had said she wanted a theme to give direction to planning, and the only thing I could think of was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon theme, and she loved it, so we decided on that, and those colors." Seto explained. Mokuba was so excited.

"I'm glad she really liked the theme idea!" Mokuba gushed. "It's a sign!"

"Mokuba, don't start with this sign business," Seto requested slightly annoyed.

"But it is! She was excited about a Blue-Eyes White Dragon theme, on top of all the other signs she's perfect for you!" Mokuba protested. Seto sighed.

"Let's just shop Mokuba," Seto said changing the subject.

"You know I'm right," Mokuba insisted.

"Fine, fine," Seto relented and they resumed shopping. They found a nice black tux, a rich purple brocade vest, a silk, rich purple tie, and shiny black shoes. Mokuba went and tried them on, and Seto helped him with his tie.

"You look so handsome Mokuba," Seto complimented his brother proudly.

"Thanks bro!" Mokuba said excitedly as he admired his tux in the mirror; he almost couldn't recognize himself. Seto took a picture of him in his tux, and then Seto saw a cool silver tux, an ice blue vest and tie, and shiny silver shoes.

"Here, Mokuba try this on. This would be perfect for the wedding," Seto suggested as he handed him the silver tux, shoes, and the ice blue vest and tie.

"Wow! Cool!" Mokuba exclaimed and went to change. He came out with the silver tux and shoes, and the ice blue vest and tie. Seto once again helped him with his tie, and they both were pleased with how it looked on him.

"This is really cool!" Mokuba gushed excitedly and he and Seto chuckled at his pun.

"It sure is," Seto concurred and then went to grab a set in his size and quickly changed. He and Mokuba looked great and they couldn't wait to wear these to the wedding. They took pictures wearing the silver tuxes, and then went and changed back into their regular clothes. They gathered all 3 tuxes and then paid for them. They called Edward to see where he was, and found he was just a few blocks away at a donut shop. They decided to walk to the shop and hang out there while they waited for Misty to call them. When they got there, Edward unlocked the trunk and they put the tuxes and shoes inside and shut the trunk. They went inside the donut shop and Seto got some donuts and iced coffees for himself and Mokuba, and they joined Edward at his table. They snacked and chatted about the plan for next weekend, Seto and Misty's trip, and arrangements in general for the next few weeks. Mokuba had agreed to take care of Shadow while they were gone for a while.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the dress shop…

Misty had her arm linked with Sophia as they navigated the store. Misty used her intimidating stature to ensure they had a bit of room to browse. The store associates were overwhelmed with mothers and their daughters demanding their attention.

"What kind of style do you like Sophia?" Misty asked as they looked at all the different purple dresses in her size.

"Um, I want a long dress, with a bit of poof, and a sweetheart neckline I suppose," Sophia answered a little unsure of herself.

"Alright," Misty nodded and continued looking. She saw a pretty, crepe satin, purple dress with a darker ruffled, layered, ombre, hem; a gathered bodice that began under the bust; with black brocade on the hips and at the sweetheart neckline.

"What do you think?" Misty asked as she pulled that dress off the rack to show Sophia, but someone else grabbed it while Misty was still holding it.

"Excuse me! Get your hands off this dress! We saw it first!" Misty snapped and glared viciously at whoever grabbed the dress, and saw it was a blonde, obviously spoiled, cheerleader-type, teenage girl.

"Back off bitch! This dress is mine!" the spoiled girl demanded.

"Like hell it is!" Misty snarled and yanked it hard out of her hands, only to have it grabbed again.

"Misty, it's ok, let her have it. I don't want a dress that's been touched by filth," Sophia remarked, feeling confident and snarky, emboldened by Misty's presence. It really irritated her when spoiled girls like this one in front of them thought that they were entitled to whatever someone else already had. Misty was stunned to hear those words come out of Sophia's mouth. Her jaw went a little slack, her chocolate eyes widened a little, and she let go of the dress, stunned. The girl and her mom were also stunned with the insult.

" _What are you doing?! Are you crazy?! This isn't like you!" Sophia's inner self demanded in shock._

" _Putting this entitled bitch in her place. I'm tired of entitled bitches like her walking all over me. I'm tired of being bullied and pushed around!" Sophia snapped._

" _Did she seriously just INSULT someone?" Misty's inner self asked utterly stunned._

" _I think so," Misty confirmed._

" _You're rubbing off on her!" her inner self observed._

" _I guess I am," Misty replied casually and a little awestruck still._

"Excuse me, mousy bitch? You want to say that again?" the girl demanded angrily and shoved Sophia a little.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to my daughter like that, you little bitch?!" the mom demanded and slapped Sophia hard across the face. Instantly, the "mama bear mode" switch was flipped. Misty yanked their hair HARD, forcing their heads to snap back and look up at Misty's contorting demon face, and her molten chocolate eyes that were filled with pure maternal rage. She kicked them in the Achilles tendons and brought them to the ground, while still holding their hair tightly.

"Y'all are fucked now," Misty said in a low, soft, dangerous voice. She was just shy of getting her demon voice. "You touch her, I will make you pay DEARLY," Misty vowed.

"You don't scare us, you bitch," the teen girl retorted. A slow smirk spread across Misty's face.

"You just keep making mistake after mistake, don't you, little bitch?" Misty retorted.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" The manager asked as she approached with two security guards. She was a large woman with glasses, black hair with a few tinsel strands pulled into a bun, and a black skirt suit with a vibrant, blue blouse adorned with bright colorful flowers.

"We found this dress for my little sister here, and as I was holding it and showing it to her, that girl grabbed it and tried to take it from me, but I wasn't having it. Then my sister said something snarky, and this girl shoved my sister, and her mom slapped her, and I'd like to press charges for assault and battery," Misty replied. The spoiled teen and her mom were aghast with horror. The security guards then called for the actual police to arrest them officially, and have the paperwork for the charges. In the meantime, the teenage girl and her mom were restrained with zip ties and escorted out.

"Have fun in the PRISON PROM!" Sophia called after them. Misty looked at her stunned.

"Holy cow!" Misty remarked and hugged her. "Are you okay?" Misty asked and noticed the red welt across the face.

"Yeah… my face just stings…"

"I bet…" Misty agreed. Misty left the dress and took her to a drink shop nearby to get some ice. She got a bag of ice and some paper towels and helped hold it against the welt on her face for a few minutes. Sophia sighed in relief. They saw the police pull up and then they told the police what happened and did the charges paperwork and allowed the officers to take a picture of Sophia's welt. Once they were gone, they went to another, less crowded shop and went browsing around the racks.

Misty and Sophia then gasped when they found a rich purple, strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline; a corset with rhinestone jewels going from the side of the bust to the waistline at an angle; a slightly poofy and long skirt with diamond-pattern gatherings accented by rhinestones marking each corner of the gathered diamonds; and a zippered back. Misty ensured it was the right size and grabbed it before someone else grabbed it, and led her to the dressing room, and helped her into the dress. She waited as Sophia undressed from her blue and white blouse and her blue skirt, before holding her arm to steady her as she stepped into the gown. Misty pulled it up and zipped it up.

"Wow! Look at you! You look just like a princess!" Misty gushed proudly and excitedly. Sophia smiled and admired her reflection; she really did look beautiful and this dress truly made her feel like the princess Misty said she looked like.

"I think Mokuba's jaw is going to hit the floor," Misty predicted with a smile and then got out her phone so she could take a picture of Sophia in her prom dress. Sophia was beaming radiantly with joy as Misty took the picture of her, and was giddy as Misty helped her out of the dress. She got dressed and Misty helped her put the dress on the hanger and carry it around the store as they looked at wedding dresses.

"What kind of wedding dress would you like for your wedding, Misty?" Sophia asked as she was trying to help.

"Well, I was thinking a light blue gown or one with ice blue accents. I like empire waists, I like length but I'm not sure about a train. I like soft but beautiful, breathable materials. I LOVE sweetheart necklines. Our colors are ice blue, white, and silver for a Blue-Eyes White Dragon theme," Misty detailed.

"That's a cool theme!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Thanks! You know, Seto picked it out. I told him I wanted a theme to help me figure out a direction for planning it, and he suggested it, and I loved it," Misty explained excitedly.

"I can't wait to see it!" Sophia exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh you'll more than just see it… by the way, we should get you an ice blue dress too," Misty suggested. Sophia looked a little confused, not catching her drift.

"Why?" Sophia asked.

"Because I want my maid of honor to wear an ice blue dress," Misty explained and Sophia gasped in joy and hugged Misty excitedly as she realized what Misty meant.

"I'm honored!" Sophia exclaimed happily. Misty chuckled happily in the hug, and then after a couple minutes they parted and browsed.

Misty then spotted a shiny, silver, satin dress that gleamed under the light with a light dusting of white gems embedded into the fabric. Misty gasped and pulled it off the rack for a better look. It had a halter sweetheart neckline with a zippered collar attached to the halter straps; there were two, wide, silver straps that draped from the collar in the back to the bust; also from the collar were two, detachable metallic ice blue shimmering lengths of chiffon fabric draping down the back and attached to two wrist cuffs that were secured closed by a blue topaz-like button; the length was to the floor and at the left side of the simple empire waist, there was a shimmering star brooch; the silver skirt flared out at the waist in the back; it was backless except for the straps, collar, and skirt; In the front, the silver skirt of the dress flared out widely, overlaying a light, silver, satin, ice blue ombre skirt.

"Holy crap! This is absolutely perfect for the wedding!" Misty exclaimed with a breathless gasp. Her happiness increased exponentially when she found one in her size. She put it on over her lavender dress in the mirror so she could see quickly how it would look on her. A grin cracked her face when she was positive it would look good on her.

"Seto is going to be over the moon with this!" Sophia predicted. "It looks just like if you were queen of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

"Oh, I will DEFNITELY be trying this on!" Misty declared and held the dress lovingly in her arms. The price was incredible too! It was only $300! Compared to others she'd seen, at prices of minimal of $200 to even as much as $3000, This was an incredible deal! And they still had plenty of money to play with, since Sophia's prom dress was only $150. Misty and Sophia then went looking for an ice blue gown, and after at least 15 minutes, they found a beautiful ice blue satin gown with a long, flared skirt; a sweetheart, ruched neckline with lace along the neckline; and a faux corset with an invisible zipper on the side, 2 ice blue lace panels on the front, and ribbons crisscrossing on the back. Even better, this one was $150. Sophia gasped with excitement at how beautiful it was and snatched it off the rack. They went and tried the dresses designated for the wedding on, and marveled at each other, and took pictures.

"This is so perfect! I'm so excited! Mokuba is going to love you in both gowns!" Misty gushed to Sophia.

"And Seto is going to have his jaw hit the floor when you enter with that perfect, Blue-Eyes dress!" Sophia replied. Misty's face cracked into another grin, and they took pictures of each other wearing the dresses. They then changed and shopped around for accessories. Misty found 2 ice blue clutches that matched the dresses for the wedding, along with a purple one that matched Sophia's prom dress; silver shoes; a blue topaz bursting star necklace for Misty, and a cubic zirconia one for Sophia; and an ice blue, mid-length veil. All in all, they came in way under their budget of $2000, about halfway to be more accurate. Misty then called Seto to let them know they were ready to go.

"We'll be over in a few minutes to pick you girls up," Seto assured her. "How'd you do?"

"We'll talk about it when y'all come and get us," Misty promised.

"Alright," Seto agreed and hung up the phone. He then asked Edward to take him and Mokuba to pick up the girls at the shop they were located. They got in the limo, and as soon as Mokuba saw Sophia's face, he did notice that there was a bit of the welt still present.

"What happened there?!" he demanded horrified. Sophia then recanted what happened at the other dress shop, and Mokuba was stunned, and hugged her. He was surprised by the boldness she displayed and how women like the ones they squared off against today could be so selfishly and savagely ignorant.

"I'm okay," Sophia assured him.

"That was a smart move, getting those women arrested," Seto complimented Misty with an approving nod.

"Yeah, thanks babe," Misty smiled proudly and cuddled close, as the 4 of them shared what went on during their shopping trips. Seto was pleased that they were able to find everything they needed for the prom and the wedding, attire wise. He also let Misty keep the shopping money he'd given her. They then came back to the mansion and enjoyed a hearty dinner of chicken alfredo tonight and continued to hang out for a bit until Hari took Sophia home with her bag and her dresses so she could get ready for school. When she got home, she immediately hung her dresses in her closet and made sure her uniform and backpack were ready to go. She had such a great day with her love, Seto, and her big sister, Misty. She just hoped Misty would be okay in the coming couple of weeks.

Back at the mansion, after Misty had hung out with her guys, she went in and put her covered wedding dress in her closet. She was excited she had found such an amazing dress that matched their theme perfectly, but then her excitement faded a little when she decided to get a start on packing for her trip. She wished she could've been more excited about going home with Seto, introducing him to her family, and showing him around as they planned, especially since they would be there during Fiesta, San Antonio's world-famous 1.5 to 2 week-long party that is an annual tradition since 1891 when a group of ladies and some citizens decided to have a mock battle parade in which they pelted each other with flowers to honor the fallen soldiers at the Battle of the Alamo and San Jacinto. From then on, it became a festival that grew larger and larger over the last 125 years plus, and it even had its own royalty during the festival and parades. The only time it wasn't celebrated was during World War I and World War II. Over time, it became a party with a purpose- to preserve cultural artifacts and buildings within the city. She chuckled a little to herself as she thought about how he might be at Fiesta; it did get REALLY crowded and crazy during Fiesta. That did help distract her a little from her true purpose in going home to San Antonio at this time, but she was reminded of it when Shadow came into her room, panting and her tail wagging.

"Hey baby girl," I guess you came in to watch me pack, hm?" Shadow walked over to her and sat by her feet and looked up at her mama happily. Misty smiled a little and gave her a little affection but then resumed packing two weeks' worth of clothes, and sometimes got a little emotional as she thought about Lulu.

Seto went upstairs to check on Misty since she was shut up in her room most of the evening since after dinner and she had ended their family time a bit earlier. Also, Shadow wasn't anywhere in sight. He went to her room and saw her packing, and Shadow was lying on her dog bed, wagging her tail as she looked at him and Misty. Seto also noticed a few errant tears staining his love's cheeks.

"Hey," Seto said as he came in and stood by her. "Are you okay?" he asked as he gently tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Right now, not really… I still have my moments when Lulu's condition crosses my mind… and I figured I should get a jump on my packing since we'll be busy this week," Misty replied.

"That's a good idea. I'll get a servant to help me pack," Seto told her as he wrapped his arms around her, held her, and rubbed her back to soothe her. He didn't know what to say to help her feel better. Nothing seemed right, but at least he could hold her and comfort her that way. Misty immediately wrapped her arms around his waist in return and held him. This embrace was soothing and comforting, and this moment was perfect.

"Want some help packing?" Seto offered after about 10 minutes of silent comforting for her.

"Sure," Misty accepted and instructed him on what was needed for their trip and told him more about San Antonio, especially the climate right now, and the fact that they were going to be coming at the start of Fiesta. He helped her pack, instructed one of his servants to start packing for him based on what she told him about the climate, and had the servant pack some condoms too. He was fascinated about how she explained Fiesta, but was hesitant about the crowds.

"I know the crowd part sounds scary, but it'll be okay. As long as we're navigating it together, we should be just fine," Misty reassured him with a kiss on his cheek. Seto smiled and noticed she seemed a little better since her mind was not focused on Lulu right now. It was pretty late, so they decided to go to bed.

"Hey, if you want, you and Shadow could stay in my room with me tonight, if you want," Seto offered. Misty smiled and got some clothes for work tomorrow, and her nightgown, while Seto got Shadow's bed and carried it to his room, with Misty and Shadow following. Misty hung her clothes up and they set up Shadow's bed at the foot of his bed. Misty went to get changed in his bathroom, while Seto changed in his room. Seto knew that with everything on her mind, she wouldn't be up for another session like last night, or letting him see her undress. That's fine, he could respect that. Shadow lay on her bed with her tail wagging a little, and her forepaw folded under her. After Misty had finished changing and doing what she needed to do, she came out of the bathroom and smiled a little at Seto as he sat on his bed in his silk pajamas petting Shadow. She sat with him on the bed and also gave Shadow some affection before climbing into bed with Seto. Seto wrapped his arms around Misty and held her close and stroked her face tenderly as his cool, sapphire eyes gazed into her warm, chocolate eyes. Misty smiled at him and leaned her face into his hand.

"I love you," Misty whispered.

"I love you too," Seto replied and kissed her head and her lips. Misty smiled and found herself nuzzling closer to him, which pleased Seto.

"Good night," Misty whispered into his lips.

"Good night sweetheart," Seto bade with another kiss, and soon, both of them had fallen asleep. All was peaceful, until Seto was stirred awake by the sound of Misty crying, a couple hours later. He opened his eyes hazily and saw and felt that she was still in his arms, but she was crying in her sleep, clearly having a nightmare. Seto watched her for a moment, and then nudged her gently to wake her.

"Misty, wake up," Seto commanded gently as he continued to nudge her. Misty opened her blurry chocolate eyes and gasped a little as she came out of her nightmare, feeling slightly disoriented, and then she realized where she was… in Seto's bed, in his arms, and she relaxed a little. "Hey, you're okay. I'm here," Seto reassured her as he rubbed her back.

" _Poor Misty," his inner self remarked sympathetically._

" _I'll say," Seto agreed as he continued to rub her back hoping to soothe her._ "Hey, come on, talk to me," Seto encouraged gently. Misty was taking deep breaths, trying to find the words that were getting slightly choked on her tongue. She had been having a nightmare about her and Seto walking into her mom's house after running some errands and Lulu was dead on the terracotta tile floor and she didn't get to say good-bye. She knew that her death was imminent, but it was still too painful to think about.

"Was it about Lulu?" Seto asked sympathetically. Misty nodded tearfully. Seto sighed and held her close and let her cry into his chest, feeling helpless. "Come on Misty, tell me what your dream was about," Seto encouraged gently, hoping that talking about it would help.

"W-w-we… were running errands… and we…c-c-came back to…mom's…h-house, and…sh-sh-she was dead on the floor! I didn't…g-g-get to say…g-g-good-bye…" Misty sputtered.

"Oh Misty… I'm sorry… but think about it this way… you still have some time with her… your mom said she had about 3 weeks at absolute most, and she'll probably be there when we get to San Antonio, and she'll be so happy to see you," Seto offered. Misty nodded after a moment, but she was still a little scared of Lulu dying before they got there. She wanted to be there for her in her final moments. Seto continued to comfort her again and they fell back to sleep. Misty slept only slightly better. She hadn't felt this much grief since her beloved grandmother passed away, and it sucked.

* * *

The next morning, both Misty and Seto were exhausted and Mokuba felt bad for them. He was so understanding when he realized that her grief had resurfaced last night, which made it hard for Misty and Seto to sleep. He could feel the heaviness of the lack of sleep, her grief, and Seto's helplessness radiating off of them. He didn't know what to do either, and that was frustrating. He did cheer up a little knowing he would get to see Sophia in a little while. He also hoped Misty would cheer up a little while at work. Soon, Hari had come with the limo and he was off to school after giving Misty and Seto a hug. He sighed a little with guilt and relief. He felt a little guilty that he didn't know how to help and because he was relieved to get out of that somber atmosphere. His heart skipped a beat in joy as they pulled up to Sophia's apartment and he got out and went to get her. When Sophia answered the door, her face lit up with a smile and she hugged and kissed him, as usual. She gathered her things, locked her apartment, and got in the limo, with Mokuba following her inside and they went to school.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto and Misty had finished getting ready and gotten into the limo, and Edward took them to the office. On the ride there, Seto held Misty close hoping to relax her. As they got closer, he instructed her on what he wanted done, and it seemed to help her relax and focus as she listed the tasks he wanted her to do. Seto was relieved that her mind was on something else for now.

Later, when they had come home, Seto decided to keep her mind off of Lulu by having some practice duels with her, and having her play with Shadow. It certainly helped. During that time, Seto made travel arrangements for them as well as arrangements for working remotely.

* * *

On Thursday night, they were getting ready to go get on his private plane. Misty and Seto both made last minute checks to be sure they had everything, and Mokuba and Sophia approached them.

"I'm going to miss you two so much!" Mokuba exclaimed as he hugged his brother and Misty.

"Yeah, me too," Sophia agreed. "We'll be sure to take lots of pictures at prom to show you two," Sophia promised.

"I look forward to them. It will definitely bring a smile to my face," Misty replied and brought Sophia into their embrace. "We'll miss y'all too," Misty assured them as they hugged.

"We sure will," Seto agreed.

"What kind of souvenirs do y'all want?" Misty asked.

"You don't have to get us anything," Mokuba and Sophia replied.

"I want to. What would y'all like?" Misty insisted. Mokuba and Sophia thought about it. "I could get y'all a t-shirt, postcards, pictures, a Spurs jersey/t-shirt, some Fiesta stuff, some food, a cowboy hat, some jewelry, some art, some Mexican stuff, some Tejano music, just about anything," Misty offered.

"Fiesta stuff for me, please," Sophia requested. Misty nodded. There was a TON of different things she could get for her. She decided she would get her a paper flower crown, a Mexican dress, dozens of cascarones, some Fiesta medals, and anything else that she happened to find from Fiesta.

"What about you Mokuba?" Misty asked.

"A cowboy hat. I've never had one before," Mokuba requested.

"Sure. Want cowboy boots to go with it?" Misty offered.

"Yes please," Mokuba requested and got a little excited.

"Alright, now I'll need your hat and shoe size," Misty requested. Mokuba got a piece of paper and wrote down his sizes, and handed it to Misty, who put it in her purse. "Anything else?" Misty asked.

"No thank you, Misty," Sophia replied.

"Alright sweeties, we'll see you in about 2 to 3 weeks," Misty bade, and Sophia and Mokuba hugged them again. "If you need to talk to us, just use Skype or instant messaging. Just remember, we're about 14 hours behind in San Antonio," Misty reminded them and they nodded.

"Right, will do," Mokuba agreed.

"Alright, we'll be going now," Misty bade.

"See you later Sophia, Mokuba," Seto bade.

"See you later, Seto and Misty!" Mokuba and Sophia bade as they watched Misty and Seto get into the limo. Seto pulled Misty close to him and stroked her back as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Anxious?" Misty asked, observing the extra affection he was giving her.

"A little," Seto admitted.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm going to feel like a fish out of water, so to speak, and I want to make a good impression on your family, and I'm not sure how well I can help you with your grief, when you have your moments about Lulu," Seto explained.

"You're going to do just fine. Just do what comes naturally. As far as helping me while I grieve, just hug me, talk to me, be patient with me, and distract me," Misty advised. Seto nodded.

"Thanks for the tips," Seto replied genuinely grateful for ideas on how to help her. That would make his job easier.

" _Told ya," his inner self chimed in._

"How about some tips to impress your family?" Seto asked.

"Ok, well daddy is pretty much a jack-of-all-trades. He works as a medical biller and he LOVES hunting and the outdoors, my brother and me, working out, and Disney/Pixar's Incredibles, especially Mr. Incredible, and art. He has quite a sense of humor too. Oh, and just a little FYI, ever since I was a little girl, he would always tell me 'No dating until you're 30!' and 'You realize you're going to have to bring your boyfriends home to meet me. I'll be cleaning my guns and showing off my mounts!'" Seto grew a little wide-eyed hearing that.

"So he's going to be cleaning his guns in front of me? Does he intend to shoot me or something?" Seto asked.

"No, but he likes to have it linger as a threat in the back of my man's mind. I'm my daddy's princess. I'm sure when we have children, especially a daughter, you will act just like daddy. He just wants to protect me and make sure I'm with the right guy who treats me right. You only have to worry if you hurt me," Misty assured him. Seto relaxed a little; he respected the fact that her dad was so protective of her, and why shouldn't he be? Misty is smart, sharp-witted, kind-hearted, and beautiful. He guessed he could see the point Misty would make about him possibly being super-protective of his own daughter when they have children. He had no intention of hurting Misty either, so at least he was sure about the threat not being necessary.

"I'm curious, would he be mad about you bringing me home and you're not yet 30?" Seto asked curiously. He was sure it was a joke, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. He wanted both her parents' blessings for him and Misty to marry.

"He might remark about it, but I'm sure he'd be cool with it," Misty assured him.

"Have you brought any guys to meet him before?" Seto asked.

"For sure at least two guys. One was my friend Danny, and the other was just some guy I dated once who ended up being an ass. The funny thing was, I was talking to him and had to cut the conversation short because I needed to get home so I could go to my brother's choir concert at school, and I told my brother about my day and that I had been out with a guy, and he decided to invite him to his choir concert to meet him. I hadn't planned on inviting him because I wasn't serious about him, but my brother made me invite him. So he came, and he met my brother and parents. He got nervous meeting daddy because dad was pretty big. I had other dates meet my mom, and others met just Wes, but nothing substantial."

"Do you think your dad will like me?" Seto asked earnestly.

"Without a doubt, honey," Misty assured him with a kiss. They then got to the airport, got their suitcases loaded into Seto's private jet, and then they were flying to San Antonio, TX. While on the plane, they resumed their conversation about her parents.

"So, ok, tell me about your mom now," Seto instructed. "She didn't seem thrilled about the fact that we are getting married."

"Well, my mom was upset because: you didn't get her or dad's blessing; and you're my boss and fiancé," Misty explained.

"Why was she upset about that?"

"She's kind of old-fashioned and a bit prudish. She had advised me to 'not fish off the company pier', meaning 'don't date your boss or someone at work, because things get awkward fast if things go wrong.' Falling in love with your boss or employee is still kind of taboo, I guess," Misty explained. "She also kind of wanted you to get her blessing before asking me as kind of an old-fashioned custom. Yeah, I love my mom, but we don't always see eye-to-eye. She's kind of rigid in her beliefs, and I feel like my mind is always evolving and expanding. Though I do admire her for her strength and independence, and I kind of am like her in some ways." Seto nodded and smiled.

"I see. Do you think she'll give me a belated blessing?"

"Oh yes," Misty assured him. Seto smiled at her confidence that her parents would approve him.

"What does she like?" Seto asked.

"Well she loves the Spurs, my brother and me, Lulu, our other dog Lucky, God/Jesus, collecting crosses, Texas pride kind of stuff, the Dallas Cowboys, spending time with family, animals, the military, crime and medical TV shows, suspenseful books, and shopping," Misty told him. Seto nodded.

"And how about your brother? What is he like, and what does he like?"

"Well, Wes is social and he's kind of big, and sometimes lazy. He's close to your age, he is protective of me, but sometimes doesn't want to hang around me, and he knows me very well. He likes hunting, superheroes, particularly Deadpool, mythology, reading, the military especially the Coast Guard, and has become a bit of a shutterbug recently," Misty explained. Seto nodded. He was getting some ideas on gifts he could give her immediate family to help them warm up to him a little more, and besides, it was rude to come to their homes empty handed. He thought about getting her mom some Spurs tickets to help take her mind off Lulu for a bit; for her father, maybe some hunting stuff; and for her brother, maybe some camera accessories or Photoshop.

"So tell me about the places we should definitely go. What's your favorite place to go to?" Seto asked.

"Well, I do love to go downtown, I love to go to Whataburger, I love SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Buc-ee's, and I love going to my grandpa's house," Misty answered.

"I see. What's special about those places?" Seto asked curiously.

"Well, downtown is always full of life and cultural history and beauty, and it will be extremely lively during Fiesta. There's always something to do downtown. Whataburger… oh my God… Whataburger is THE best burger chain in Texas, maybe even the U.S. Some may say differently, but you can't really beat it. They make burgers exactly how you want it, and they're so lovingly cooked. You wouldn't believe the cravings I've had for them since I've been in Domino. Yeah, there are some decent burger places in Domino, but it's not Whataburger. And I have a bit of an attachment to SeaWorld and Six Flags because they are always fun to go to, and I had some good times working there. They were also part of my childhood. Buc-ee's, oh how do I explain Buc-ee's… there are a few locations around Texas, but the biggest one is in New Braunfels, outside of San Antonio. It is the BIGGEST gas station in Texas… it has pretty much EVERYTHING you could want or need, and the food is GOOD. They have a huge variety of it too. The bathrooms are also the cleanest bathrooms you could come across in a gas station. They even have a mascot, Buc-ee, the beaver. It's mind boggling. And finally, my grandpa's house is one of my favorite places to go because it was my home for the longest time. And before my beloved grandma passed away, I spent a lot of time with her and came to visit with her often, and then after she passed, we would spend time with grandpa," Misty explained. Seto nodded, but was a little confused at why Buc-ee's was one of her favorite places to visit.

"Why is one of your favorite places a gas station?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"When we visit, you'll see why. It's just a wondrous place," Misty explained.

"Okay…" Seto replied unsure of what to say. They continued to chat about her family and all the fun things she did in San Antonio, and bits and pieces more about her life before she had come to Domino. He learned a lot more and was fascinated.

* * *

After about a 14-hour flight, Seto and Misty had arrived in San Antonio airspace at 10:16 p.m. ( **A/N:** I did my research to determine approximately what time they would arrive) Seto was awestruck by the glittering view outside his window. He couldn't believe the immense size of San Antonio. Misty sure wasn't kidding when she said that San Antonio was the 7th largest city in the U.S. He wondered how much bigger the other 6 cities were compared to San Antonio.

"Welcome to San Antonio, babe," Misty said with a smile.

"You weren't kidding about how big it is," Seto remarked.

"I know. It's wondrous, isn't it?" Misty asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Seto agreed and then his plane landed in the hangar and the San Antonio International Airport flight crew got the plane taken care of, got their bags, and helped them off the plane. They then were escorted with their bags to the chauffeur that was waiting for them. The chauffeur put the bags in the back of the limo and then took them to their hotel, the La Quinta Inn and Suites downtown near Market Square and made arrangements to be picked up in the morning to go to Misty's mother's house. They checked in, and were escorted to their room and settled in where they collapsed on the bed tiredly.

"Let's get changed and relaxed," Misty suggested as they closed the curtains and blinds and started to get their pajamas

"How about we forgo the pajamas?" Seto suggested with a devious smirk. Misty quirked an eyebrow and Seto kissed captured her soft, rosy lips before she could answer, and earned a moan. "That's what I thought," Seto said against her lips in a cocky tone.

"You devil," Misty teased as they kissed.

"Your fault. You got me hooked," Seto retorted playfully. "Besides, it will definitely get us fully relaxed, and it will be fun to start our trip with some lovemaking. What do you think?" Seto suggested as he kissed her neck, each moment slowly turning more intense and passionate as they yanked off each other's clothes, and explored each other again before making hot, passionate love again, with a condom. When they had finished, they cuddled and caressed, Seto disposed of his condom, and they set their alarm to wake up in the morning before falling asleep in each other's arms, feeling much better and much more relaxed now.

The next morning, they enjoyed a full breakfast downstairs before the chauffer came and picked them up and took them to her mom's house. Seto paid the chauffer and Misty got out her keys from her purse. Thankfully, her mom's red Rogue was in the driveway. She had taken the day off partly because of Lulu, and partly because they were coming. Misty held Seto's hand and unlocked the door with her key. She nudged the door open slightly and saw a familiar black nose at the door and heard Lulu's breathy, excited whining before she opened the door all the way.

"Mom, we're here!" Misty called out and Lulu was at her feet wheezing excitedly, her black and silver patchy body and tail were wiggling excitedly. "Hi baby!" Misty greeted her Lulu happily and set her stuff down and pet her. Lulu happily licked her face and nuzzled her, but then had to stop and cough violently.

"Oh my sweet Lulu…" Misty said with a tinge of sadness in her voice as she hugged her. Her mom then appeared in the living room watching them. Misty let Lulu go and then went and hugged her mom and gave her a kiss.

"Hi babe," her mom greeted as she hugged her and kissed her cheek. She was a little taller than Misty, with auburn-brunette, wavy, semi-short hair, and stylish glasses over her strong chocolate eyes that matched Misty's. Seto could definitely see where his beautiful Misty got her looks from, and it was like looking into the future at a glimpse of what his Misty would look like in about 20 years, and he was impressed.

"Hi mom," Misty greeted.

"She hasn't been eating much… she's been getting lethargic and only has a few bursts of excited energy, but after a while she is hurting. I have to pick her up and put her on the bed, and lift her off," her mom told her. Misty sighed heavily.

"What do we do?" Misty asked feeling a bit sad and helpless.

"Right now, I don't know, but I'm looking at home-cooked, renal-friendly dog food to try to give to her and see if she'll eat it…" her mom replied. Misty sighed and nodded, and then looked at Seto.

"I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. Honey, this is my mom, Carmen Robinson. Mom, this is my fiancé, Seto Kaiba," Misty introduced them.

"Hi, nice to meet you," both her mom and Seto said at the same time as they shook hands. Seto was impressed with the strength of her mom's handshake.

"Have a seat," Misty's mom invited, gesturing to the dark brown, leather couch.

"Thank you," Seto accepted and sat down on the couch with Misty and her mom.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Misty's mom offered.

"No thanks, I'm fine," Seto assured her. Lulu then lay at both Misty's and Seto's feet, panting a little bit in joy as Misty rubbed and kissed her head, then took her shoe and sock off and gently pet Lulu with her foot, just like she had with Shadow. Misty's mom then started chatting with Seto about himself, and his and Misty's relationship, and grilling him with occasionally awkward questions, to which Seto answered honestly. All in all, her mom was impressed, and bestowed her blessing for Seto to marry Misty. Seto had to admit though the grilling was a little awkward, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He respected how her mom wanted to make sure he was taking good care of and respecting Misty. He and Misty both reassured her that he was taking excellent care of her. They spent all morning together and Misty showed her mom the pictures of Shadow and her mom was astonished at the similarities, and she was happy that at least Misty had a second Lulu-like dog with her; she knew that Misty was going to take Lulu's imminent passing HARD, so having her Shadow might ease the pain a bit.

Seto and Misty then got into her pewter gray Ford Focus that she had kept at her mom's house, and went and got some lunch nearby at Whataburger for the three of them. When Misty pulled into the drive thru, she instantly perked up and was practically bouncing in her seat as they waited their turn in the drive thru.

"You certainly perked up quite a bit," Seto observed. She had been so sad at her mom's house as she watched Lulu as they talked. He had to admit, he winced a bit too when Lulu started coughing violently every now and again. However, seeing her perk up here in the drive thru of Whataburger was very soothing.

"We're at Whataburger! I told you I missed this place! And you get to have your first Whataburger! This is exciting!" Misty exclaimed. "What do you want?" Seto looked at the menu carefully. He didn't know what to pick.

"What do you recommend?"

"It's all good, but I love the Avocado Bacon Burger and the A1 Thick and Hearty Burger the most," Misty answered.

"I guess the Avocado Bacon Burger sounds good," Seto replied. Misty's face cracked into a smile.

"What do you want to drink?" Misty asked.

"I guess some lemonade," Seto answered.

"Do you want to have the large meal?" Misty asked.

"No, I think a regular meal will be fine for me," Seto replied. Misty nodded and ordered two Avocado Bacon Burger combos, one Whatasized (she had missed Whataburger terribly in the last few months), and a garden salad for her mom along with a half unsweet half sweet tea, Seto's lemonade, and a sweet tea for her, along with 3 medium chocolate shakes for them to enjoy. Seto decided to pay for lunch.

"Thanks babe," Misty replied with a smile and a quick kiss.

"You're welcome," Seto replied with a smile. He figured he could at least buy lunch for her and her mom after what was going on with Lulu, since he hadn't had time to pick up a gift or anything and wanted to make up for coming empty-handed. He would get the Spurs tickets later, but a Whataburger lunch would do in the meantime.

They waited a few minutes for the big bag of food, their shakes, and drinks, and then brought it home. Her mom was thrilled with the lunch and thanked both Misty and Seto. Seto nodded and smiled and sat down beside Misty to try his burger, and waited as her mom blessed the food and the fact they were here. Seto thought that was a sweet prayer. Misty was so excited to open her burger and fries, and Seto was a little unsure at first but had to admit this burger was delicious!

"So, how is your first Whataburger meal?" Misty asked expectantly.

"I like it. I see why you enjoy it and why you've missed it so much," Seto answered. Misty was happy that he liked it. She hoped he liked everything else she was going to show him.

* * *

They hung out a while longer with her mom, Lulu, and Lucky, and agreed to come the next day for the party and spending time with them. In the meantime, they were going to visit her father and brother. Misty called her dad and let him know that she and Seto would be coming to visit.

"You're bringing a guy home to meet me and your brother?! You're not 30 yet!" her father said half-teasingly.

"I'm close enough dad," Misty retorted slightly annoyed.

"Nah, you're not 30 yet. I said no dating until you're 30!" Her father continued.

"Yes, I know, but enough, I'm close enough," Misty insisted.

"Gaw! You're no fun. So I guess I need to get my guns out, huh?" Misty scowled on the phone annoyed.

"Dad…The walls should do just fine. No guns," Misty insisted. Seto kind of watched Misty get annoyed with her dad and wasn't sure what to make of it.

" _Well, on the bright side, at least he sounds nice; corny, but nice," Seto's inner self said as he tried to be positive. He knew her father and brother would be the more challenging of the family members to meet, so a bit of a sense of humor might be a good buffer._

"Alright, alright," her father relented. "I can't wait to meet your boyfriend!" He said in a chipper tone. He was all too excited for this moment; he'd been wanting to scare her boyfriends she brought home to meet him since she was like 14 or 15. He had met a guy she was sort of dating and talking to, but it didn't really count; Wes invited him to his concert, not her, and she didn't even seem too interested in him anyway. The only other guy Misty introduced him to was her friend Danny from high school, so this was going to be fun at least.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Misty told her dad and hung up and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Seto asked gently.

"Sometimes that's just annoying," Misty admitted. "Let's go," she instructed and said bye to her mom, Lulu, and Lucky for tonight and then she drove a couple miles away to go to her father's well-worn house and parked by the curb, as her father's big, modified, mango tango orange truck took up the whole driveway. Seto and Misty got out of her car and she immediately held his hand to reassure him if he was nervous. He was indeed a bit nervous, but didn't show it. He kept his game face on and squeezed her hand. Misty knocked on the door and waited holding Seto's hand.

"He'll like you, and besides, you're Seto Kaiba! If you can make grown men tremble under your icy gaze, this will be a piece of cake!" Misty whispered to him. Seto smiled at her encouragement and kissed her cheek, and then her father opened the door. He was a big but lean man; with thinning light brown hair; blue eyes; a youthful face for a man in his 50s; and he was wearing camouflage shorts, a t-shirt, and his crocs.

"Hey daddy," Misty greeted as her father opened the door and she gave him a hug and a kiss.

"Hey angel," her dad greeted with a smile. He was so glad to see her home, and then he looked over Seto from his brunet hair down to his shoes. "So, this is Seto, huh?" her father observed.

" _I can do this, I'm Seto Kaiba!" Seto thought to himself to bolster his confidence._

"Yes sir, that is correct. I'm Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp," Seto introduced himself and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Mark Robinson," Misty's dad introduced himself and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you. Come in," her father invited.

"Thank you," Seto accepted and followed Misty inside. He gasped a little when he saw all the various animal mounts on the walls, the swords, and the metal Viking helmet.

"You okay?" Misty's dad asked as he noticed the stunned gasp. "Impressive, aren't they?" her dad crowed proudly. "Does it make you nervous now?" he goaded with a bit of a smirk. Misty scowled at her dad in annoyance.

"Satisfied now daddy? He saw your mounts, quit trying to scare him," Misty retorted irritably at her dad.

"I want him to be a little scared at least. You hurt my baby girl, and you might just end up on this wall too," her father threatened half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Okay, I get it," Seto answered, feeling a bit awkward now.

"Okay, now have you gotten it out of your system daddy?" Misty snapped with a sour look at her father.

"Geez, take a chill pill honey," her father retorted. "Have a seat, make yourself comfortable. Would you like a soda or something?" her father offered, being hospitable now.

"It's okay, I'm good for now," Seto politely declined as he and Misty sat on the camouflage futon.

"Wes! Get your butt out here now and move these clothes to the rooms so we can sit and talk with Misty's boyfriend!" Misty's father commanded. A minute later, a heavyset, baby-faced young man with a patchy, shaggy, and scruffy "beard", hazel-brown eyes, light brown hair, and was wearing faded black and gray camouflage shorts, and a black t-shirt emerged from one of the bedrooms with a big, fat, black lab trailing behind him.

"Hey brat," Wes greeted his sister when he saw her.

"Hey punk," Misty greeted back. Wes then saw the tall, skinny, brunet with ice blue eyes sitting beside his sister.

"Is this your boyfriend?" Wes asked.

"If you hurry up and move those clothes out of the way I'll tell you more," Misty instructed.

"Geez, you're as bossy as ever," Wes retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Misty rolled her eyes. Seto chuckled a little at their sibling banter as Wes got the clothes and carried them to the rooms before joining their dad on the couch. Misty was petting the lab, Riley, a bit. "So, this is Seto Kaiba, my FIANCE," Misty introduced him.

"FIANCE?!" Her dad and Wes exclaimed shocked. "SINCE WHEN?!" they demanded.

"My birthday," Misty answered and felt Seto squeeze her hand instinctively when they exclaimed like that.

"Isn't he your boss?" Wes asked.

"So what if he is?" Misty retorted.

"You're marrying your boss? Oh honey, office relationships don't work out that well… you should know better," her dad told her. Misty was a bit annoyed.

"Well, it is working out well. He's been one of the most respectful men I've ever met. I do know better, but you know what, neither he nor I could help falling for each other, nor were we expecting it," Misty retorted defensively. "Yeah, I know it's a bit soon, but you know what, when you know, you know, and there's no stopping it. It's like trying to stop a moving train."

"Alright, alright," her dad replied slightly defensively. "But, we have a few questions for him," her dad began and had the smirk. Misty sighed.

"Fine. Get the grilling done and over with," Misty sighed exasperatedly and squeezed Seto's hand reassuringly. Her father and brother took turns peppering Seto and Misty with questions, a lot of them similar or the same to the ones her mom asked. Seto and Misty patiently answered their questions, and the more her dad and Wes conversed with her and Seto, the more impressed they became. They were blown away by his background and how he and Mokuba became so successful after all the crap and abuse they endured. They were amazed at how Misty saved him and the effect she had on him, Mokuba, and Sophia. They were proud to offer their blessing and were a bit proud that Misty had chosen an amazing young man to marry, and that he would be part of their family.

"Well, it's about DAMN time that you found someone to marry," Wes remarked.

"Yeah, it is," Misty agreed. She'd been single for a long time before Seto, and she felt happy that it was finally her turn to get married. She couldn't wait to tell the world now, especially since she got her family's blessing. Seto felt a huge tidal wave of relief wash over him that he had earned her parents' and brother's approval and blessing. He could relax and help her with the wedding planning, enjoying the touring around San Antonio, and help comfort her in her grieving moments.

A little while later, they left her dad's house and Misty started driving back to the hotel so they could rest and relax for a little while. They didn't feel like going out, so on the way back to the hotel, at Westover Hills and Highway 151, near SeaWorld, they stopped at Rudy's Bar-B-Q for some barbecue food to-go. Misty ordered some brisket, sausage, creamed corn, Rudy's beans, barbecue sauce, and a bottle of Big Red. When they left, Misty pointed out the road across the way that led to SeaWorld, and the quick view of the Steel Eel and Great White from the road. Seto was a bit curious, but wasn't totally interested tonight in SeaWorld. He was still feeling a bit tired from some jet lag and he had a sort of stressful day meeting her parents and brother. He was tantalized by the smell of the barbecue in the backseat, and couldn't wait to taste it. He never smelled anything like it before.

"That smells so good," Seto told Misty. Misty smiled.

"It sure does. This is one of THE best places for barbecue in Texas. People come from miles around to get some Rudy's barbecue," Misty said proudly. "Mark my words, I'll turn you into a Texan yet," Misty vowed with a chuckle. Seto chuckled too, and enjoyed the ride, even with Misty's occasional cursing at terrible drivers. He couldn't believe how people could be so careless on the roads sometimes.

They got to the hotel about 25 minutes later, and Misty got her purse and her things, locked the car when they got everything out, and helped Seto carry in the food after getting the room key out of her pocket. As soon as they got into the room, Misty emptied the bag of food and set up the table. Misty set her things on the bed, and divvied up the food and poured some Big Red into some of the plastic cups from the bathroom. She sat with Seto, they settled in, and dug into the utterly juicy and deeply satisfying barbecue food. Seto had to admit this was actually damn good food, and he was glad the first barbecue he ever tasted was the best. Misty was in Heaven as she savored each bite. She missed this too. Seto sipped the bubbly red soda and was astonished at how smooth and sweet it was. He wasn't too big on sweet flavors, but Misty was drinking it as if she'd been in a desert searching for water while he nursed it between bites. The sweetness did kind of bring out the smokiness of the barbecue though.

" _Wow, she really missed this food and the soda," his inner self remarked._

" _I'll say," Seto agreed. He noticed how happy she seemed to be._

" _Look how happy she is to be home," his inner self remarked._

" _Yeah. It's going to be hard to take her home to Domino," Seto thought and felt briefly paranoid. What if she wanted to stay here and not return to Domino?_

" _I don't think you'll have to worry about that. She is happy in Domino. She has a life with you, Mokuba, Sophia, and now Shadow, and everyone else at the mansion. Yeah, this is her home, but remember, she chose to come to Domino in the first place. It's nice to come home to her hometown every so often, but she will go back to Domino with you happily," his inner self assured him._ Seto nodded placated and continued to enjoy the food until they finished. He felt so stuffed. Sure, Rosa made plentiful portions at home, but he'd never felt so stuffed in his life. Misty cleaned up the trash, and then plopped on the bed with him and cuddled close. Seto held her close against him and they watched some TV and chatted and then went to bed. Misty slept a little better tonight.

* * *

The next day, they slept in a little bit and then went to the famous Mi Tierra around the corner for breakfast. Seto was astonished at how colorful and beautiful everything was; the plethora of delicious, colorful, Mexican pastries and desserts; the wait staff in the colorful Mexican clothing; and especially the roaming mariachis.

"Now, just to let you know, this is an example of our Mexican food here. There are other restaurants around each and every corner, some are better, but Mi Tierra is one of the most famous here," Misty let him know and they were seated beside a beautiful stained glass window. A waitress in a red, white, and green, frilly, off-the-shoulder Mexican dress with black wavy hair pulled back into a ponytail, and bright brown eyes approached them with the menus.

"Hi, I'm Isabel, and I'll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?" Isabel asked.

"Sweet tea for me please," Misty ordered.

"I'll have a coffee with cream and sugar on the side please," Seto ordered. Isabel nodded and wrote it down.

"I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu," she said cheerily and went to get their drink orders and take care of the other customers. Seto browsed the breakfast menu, wasn't sure what half of the stuff on the menu was. He looked so confused. He looked to Misty to help him.

"Sweetheart, what would you recommend?" Seto asked.

"Get the Campesino with barbacoa, Huevos a la Mexicana, or the menudo," Misty recommended.

"What are you going to have?" Seto asked.

"I'm getting the Huevos a la Mexicana," Misty replied. Seto nodded.

"Is the barbacoa good?" Seto asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's pretty good. It's tender Mexican-style beef and it's a little salty," Misty described.

"Do you like it?" Seto asked.

"Yeah, I do," Misty answered.

"Okay, I'll try it," Seto declared. Isabel then came back a couple minutes with the drinks and had her pad ready. Misty and Seto ordered and then sipped on the drinks. Seto was a little cautious sipping his, but it tasted so rich and dark.

"This is good coffee!" Seto remarked impressed. He added just a little bit of cream and a little sugar to it, and melted in pleasure.

"We can take some back to the hotel with us later, along with some pan dulce," Misty promised. Seto nodded with a smile. He might have to get a few bags of this stuff to last him the time he's here, and to take some home. "By the way, we can pick up some good coffee from HEB too," Misty encouraged.

"What's HEB?"

"It's only the best grocery chain ever. We can stop by after the party today, at the one near my mom's house."

"How is it the best?" Seto inquired curiously. Misty smiled.

"Great food, great deals, great customer service, and great partnerships," Misty answered proudly. She loved shopping at HEB.

"Is that another Texas jewel?" Seto inquired.

"Oh yes. People from out of town can't believe how amazing HEB is, and it's only in Texas," Misty explained. "You'll have to see for yourself," Misty declared.

"Okay. So, what else do you want to do before the party this afternoon?"

"Well, we can walk around Market Square a little while, take a river barge tour of the Riverwalk, and pop in the Fiesta store to get some early Fiesta souvenirs before Fiesta starts. We should get some bus passes so we can take the trolleys and downtown buses to get around until we have to go back to the hotel to get the car and go," Misty explained. Seto nodded and was going to let her lead; this was her hometown after all, and she'd know what to check out. They talked a little longer and then the food came. Seto tentatively tried the food and it was a little familiar thanks to Misty's Mexican food nights back home, but it was richer. He was thoroughly enjoying it and the barbacoa was pretty good. Misty savored her food and felt satisfied. While they ate, a mariachi had come by and Misty flagged them down and gave them some cash to play a song for them, of their choice. The mariachi smiled delighted and complied with her request and Misty and Seto enjoyed the mariachi song. When it came time to pay, Seto immediately grabbed the check up and paid for the food, and then bought a couple bags of coffee, for now, in one of the Mi Tierra totes. They then walked around Market Square looking at all the Mexican and Texan wares. Misty bought a purple Mexican dress and a floral crown for Sophia, some Mexican spices for Rosa, a game of Lotería, and a few other things. They then walked a few blocks to the VIA bus station and bought a couple monthly passes, and took a trolley to Rivercenter Mall. Seto paid close attention to the buildings they passed by. They then went down to the Riverwalk level and Seto was intrigued. Misty bought tickets for the river barge tour, and they got on the waiting barge, near the front, and waited a bit before the barge driver started the tour. He was funny and witty as he gave the tour and drove the barge. Seto thought the Riverwalk was fascinating and beautiful, and Misty pointed out Marriage Island when they came to it. Seto nodded and continued to enjoy the tour. Then, they took a bus to the Fiesta store and Seto had never seen a store so colorful. It had so many colorful shirts, decorative items, and pins and medals galore! Misty looked at the medals and picked a few of the ones she liked and looked at the time. It was time to get back to the hotel and start driving to her side of town. They caught a bus to the hotel, seeing more and more of the busy streets of downtown San Antonio until they got to the hotel. They put their stuff in the room in their suitcases, locked them, then got in her car and went to her side of town until they got to BJ's Brewhouse in the Alamo Ranch area. They were a little early, and then her mom and brother arrived and started walking up. Misty and Seto had been sitting in the waiting area and greeted them.

"Hey babe, hey Seto," her mom greeted and Misty kissed her cheek.

"Hey," Wes greeted and they checked in and were led to the table. Eventually, more and more of their family started to straggle in, and Misty greeted them with hugs and kisses, and introduced each family member, especially her grandpa, to Seto as her fiancé. She showed off her ring, and her family was shocked. They never had expected MISTY to be engaged. They had hoped she would eventually marry, but like Wes, they noticed she had been single for so long they wondered IF it would happen. They were happy to hear it, and asked Seto similar questions to what her parents and Wes had already asked, and Seto and Misty patiently answered each one again. They were impressed with him and happy Misty picked such a great man. They also talked about other subjects, and Seto felt like he was part of the family for sure now. He further cemented their favor by deciding to treat her family to the lunch. They had told him he didn't have to do that, but he insisted. They all thanked him, and later Misty and Wes blew out the candles on the German chocolate cake her aunt had made, and opened their gifts. Wes and Misty each had gotten money and some small things.

Later, Misty and Seto had followed their mom to HEB, parked next to her, and they went grocery shopping together, getting their own separate baskets. Seto was impressed at all the Combo Loco coupon deals all around the store, and he could see all the great things Misty told him about. He could see why they loved shopping there. Misty watched her mom buy some rice, meat, squash, and other vegetables to try an organic, renal-friendly kind of food to see if Lulu would eat that instead, to prolong her life just a little longer, while she and Seto got some foods to keep in their hotel room so they weren't eating out every day and night while they were there. Yeah, she wanted Seto to taste some of the best foods San Antonio, but they didn't need to go out every single night. When they had checked out, Misty gave her mom a parting hug and kiss and drove back to the hotel and put their food away.

* * *

Each day, over the week, Misty and Seto came to spend time at her mom's house to help keep an eye on her sweet Lulu. Each time they went to the house, Misty was heavy with helplessness as she watched her sweet Lulu declining. She was happy that Lulu was eating the food her mom was making, but she was still weak. In the meantime, Seto was busy working on his laptop, using her mom's Wi-Fi. When her mom would come home from work, they left, and Misty showed him around a bit more, picked up requested souvenirs, and did a little wedding planning.

* * *

Saturday, April 10, 2016,

Mokuba was awake and extremely chipper today. He could not wait for tonight. It was going to be so amazing! He had a quick breakfast and had Hari take him to Sophia's apartment to pick her up. She would be getting ready at the mansion, and staying tonight again. He had also missed her a bit this week because they only got to spend time together when she was at school with him. She had a busy week at work this week. The ride over there seemed like it took a while, even though it was just a few minutes, but even then it was too long in Mokuba's excited state. When he got to the apartment, he thanked Hari hastily and went up to her apartment to get his sweet, beautiful girlfriend. Sophia answered the door and smiled as she saw her handsome boyfriend, and noticed the excited gleam in his grey eyes.

"Hey babe," Sophia greeted and gave him a soft, tender kiss.

"Hey beautiful!" Mokuba greeted. "Ready to go?"

"I sure am! Let me just grab my stuff for tonight," Sophia replied and got her keys, purse, a suitcase with all her prom stuff and clothes for the weekend, and her dress still in its bag. Mokuba, like a gentleman, grabbed her suitcase and dress for her while she locked her door, and then offered his arm to her as they walked to the limo together. Hari took her suitcase and dress and gingerly put them in the trunk.

"Thanks Hari," Sophia and Mokuba told him.

"You're welcome," Hari said with a friendly smile. "So, Sophia, are you as excited about tonight as Mokuba is?" Hari asked as he was about to close the door to the limo.

"Oh yes! I can't wait! It will be so magical!" she gushed. Mokuba chuckled.

"It sure will babe," he agreed.

"So what is the itinerary for tonight? What time am I taking you two? Are you going to go to dinner beforehand? Any after parties after prom?" Hari asked.

"Well, I was thinking of going to the Black Tiger Steakhouse for dinner around 6:00 p.m. and then right afterwards, we can go right to prom. Afterwards, we don't really have any plans. We'll probably just come home," Mokuba answered.

"Alright, sure whatever you want to do," Hari nodded and then closed the door and then got in and drove them back to the mansion. When they got there, Rosa had just finished making lunch, and Hari made the reservations at the Black Tiger Steakhouse

"Hey Rosa! It sure smells good! What's for lunch?" Sophia asked cheerfully. Rosa smiled warmly at Sophia.

"Hello dear. Today we're having a good macaroni and cheese with real, white cheese, bacon, and broccoli," Rosa announced.

"Mmm, that sounds so good," Sophia complimented her. Mokuba, however, wasn't too keen on the broccoli.

"It does sound good, but I'm not too sure about the broccoli," Mokuba bemoaned.

"Now Mokuba, your brother and Misty want me to make sure you are eating healthy and balanced meals," Rosa countered maternally.

"Besides, broccoli is a good green vegetable," Sophia chimed in.

"…ok," Mokuba acquiesced reluctantly. Rosa then served them the food and placed the food at the table for them.

"Thank you Rosa," both Mokuba and Sophia told her and savored the food. Rosa was pleased they were enjoying it, and then went to eat in the staff break room. After they enjoyed the scrumptious lunch, they helped Rosa clean up the dishes a little and decided to go to Mokuba's room to watch Hunger Games since they had some time to relax before having to start getting ready. Not too long after they came into his room and started the movie, Shadow came in and was wanting some attention. She had looked for Seto and Misty but didn't find them, so she went looking for Mokuba and Sophia instead. She was panting happily and wagging her tail and sat down on the floor in front of them.

"Someone's lonely," Sophia observed and pet her, to which Shadow happily wagged her tail and licked her face.

"Hey Shadow, you miss Seto and Misty don't you?" Mokuba asked her as he pet her and hugged her, to which she wagged her tail a bit more and nuzzled into him. After they had given her sufficient attention, Shadow went to her bed at the foot of Mokuba's bed and curled up cozily as they watched the movie.

When the movie ended, it was the perfect time to separate and start getting ready for prom.

"Did you want to go to a salon to get your hair done, or would you like Rosa to help you?" Mokuba offered.

"I think I'll have Rosa help me, if she's not busy…" Sophia replied modestly.

"Alright sure," Mokuba nodded and called for Rosa. A few minutes later, Rosa came into his room.

"Yes Mokuba? What do you need?" Rosa asked politely.

"Sophia wanted to ask you something," Mokuba introduced and let Sophia take over.

"Um, I was wondering if you could help me with my hair and makeup," Sophia asked timidly. Rosa's face cracked into a grin.

"Of course sweetheart! I'd love to help you," Rosa volunteered happily. "Come on, let's go to your room. I'll let you get dressed first, and then we'll do your hair and makeup," Rosa instructed. Sophia nodded as she grabbed her things with Rosa's help, and they went to her room. Shadow got up and followed her and lay on the floor happily. Rosa helped her into her dress, then had her sit at the vanity, turned the lights on, and started curling her hair. With each spiral, Rosa misted it lightly with hairspray, until she was finished. Then, she started gingerly and carefully applying Sophia's makeup to her face, after putting a towel around her neck to protect her dress. When Rosa was finished, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Oh Sophia, sweetheart… you look so beautiful!" Rosa exclaimed proudly and showed her the mirror. Sophia was stunned by the transformation and could hardly recognize herself. Shadow was panting happily as she was watching and wagging her tail.

"Thank you Rosa," Sophia blushed modestly.

They then made sure her matching purple purse had everything she'd need, and she was wearing all the jewelry she'd gotten for prom. "Let me get some pictures!" Rosa exclaimed as she snapped some pictures of her at the vanity, and some of her standing.

* * *

While she was doing all that, Mokuba took his time and put his suit on, and had Hari show him how to do his tie. He remembered some of what Seto taught him, but he needed help right now. After he put his full tux on, and the shiny shoes, he grabbed everything he needed and her corsage that he'd kept in the refrigerator, and went to sit down in the living room and wait for Sophia to make her entrance. Another staff member had gotten some pictures of him as they waited.

Finally, it was time for Sophia to make her entrance. Rosa had told Shadow to go down the stairs and had another staff member hold onto her turquoise collar; she did not want Shadow to get in Sophia's way while she was going down the stairs, nor did she want any dog hair getting on either Mokuba's or Sophia's fancy clothes. Rosa snapped some pictures of Sophia looking down from the top of the stairs, and then went down the stairs to get pictures and video of her coming down the stairs. The other shutterbug staff member called the rest of the staff to watch, and both she and Rosa started snapping pictures and video of Sophia coming down as well as Mokuba's delighted and spell-bound expression. Sophia blushed from all the attention, and she felt like a star. Mokuba was astounded at how beautiful she looked, and it made his heart race. When she came off the stairs, Mokuba went and hugged her.

"Baby, you look so beautiful!" Mokuba gushed as he looked her over. Sophia kissed him excitedly. Mokuba kissed back a little bit, but kept it decent.

"Thank you," Sophia replied with a blush. "You look so handsome too," she complimented him as she admired how regal he looked in his tux.

"Thanks baby," Mokuba smiled and then opened the corsage box and put the corsage on her wrist, and she admired the purple orchid and white roses with the purple ribbons adorning her wrist. She took the purple orchid boutonniere out of the box and pinned it to his lapel. They then took some more pictures together inside, and then by the limo, where Hari was waiting to take them. He opened the door, and of course they thanked him as they got in and settled in.

Hari then took them to the Black Tiger Steakhouse and let them out before going to park the limo in the back of the parking lot, and came back to take pictures of them at a distance and then went back to the limo to wait. There were a lot of prom couples, some from their school, some from other school. Their classmates didn't recognize Sophia right away, and were astonished at how beautiful she looked. They were also impressed with how handsome Mokuba was, and they were being nice to them. Mokuba and Sophia felt a little weird with that phony niceness, but were then escorted to their table. The other prom couples were a bit annoyed because they had been waiting, but they didn't have prior reservations. Mokuba and Sophia were seated and immediately a waiter came up to them to get their drink orders, and after returning with their drinks, got their orders for a venison steak plate with mashed potatoes, green beans, for two. For dessert, they had a large slice of chocolate cake to share. Mokuba paid the bill, and they called Hari to let them know they were done and ready to go. Hari moved the limo and parked in front of the entrance and helped them inside. As soon as they got settled in, Sophia cuddled up to Mokuba and rested her head on his chest, while he stroked her back. They were so happy.

About 20 minutes later, they had arrived at the Sunset Sky ballroom, in which their prom was being held. They walked in, and Mokuba presented the tickets to the staff at the door, and got their wristbands and photo package information. They decided which package they wanted, and then stood in line to get their pictures done. While they were in line, there were more whispers about them. They recognized Mokuba immediately, but like the prom couples back at the Black Tiger Steakhouse, they didn't recognize Sophia, and couldn't believe it was her. They were astonished by her transformation. Mokuba and Sophia didn't pay attention to them. Then, it was their turn to do their official prom photos. The photographer positioned them in front of a backdrop with a sunset background and Greek-style columns so they stood slightly at an angle to show off their outfits, and were facing each other, with Sophia's hand on Mokuba's chest. When the photographer was about to take the picture, Sophia decided to kiss Mokuba's cheek, which made him smile bigger. The photographer loved the picture, and took the order form and payment. They were then allowed into the ballroom and were amazed at the decorations. The prom committee had decorated the ballroom so it looked like a sunset on Mount Olympus. There were balloon columns with purples, yellows, golds, blues, and pinks; white Greek-style columns similar to the columns used in the photo shoot, but with ivies wrapped around them; lush green plants near the columns; a sunset-painted ceiling; a soft glow of yellow and pink lights all through the ballroom; a gold Zeus statue on the stage that had been rented for the occasion, behind two golden thrones with plush, red velvet seats that would be used for prom king and queen pictures. There was a make your own pita bar, and there was a punchbowl that looked reminiscent of ancient Greek pottery. Mokuba and Sophia immediately snapped pictures of the ballroom, and had some friendly classmates take their pictures for them. They put their cameras back in her purse, and they started to dance together. For Mokuba and Sophia, they were in their own little world. They danced for a while, and decided to get some punch and a couple pita sandwiches. While they were drinking and eating, they noticed that the punch tasted funny, it kind of burned going down, and made them feel loosened up. They danced a little more, and drank a little more. They laughed a little as they kept dancing. The rest of the class was acting just as strange, and the chaperones thought it was suspiciously weird. They tasted the punch and were horrified to find it had been spiked. They tried to warn the students not to drink anymore of it and dumped out the tainted punch, but some of them were in a drunken haze to even notice or care. They refilled the punchbowl with fresh, untainted punch, and kept a closer eye on it, but it only took an errant glance away from the punch to monitor the rest of the students for a terrible student to spike it once again, unnoticed. The chaperones tried to resume activities as normal as possible.

Meanwhile, the buzz had started to affect Mokuba and Sophia in another way. Sophia whispered into her love's ear "Mokuba… I want you so bad."

"Really?" Mokuba asked, slurring a little bit.

"Yes. I want you," Sophia repeated and came closer and kissed him. Mokuba kissed back and felt turned on himself.

"I want you too. Let's go," Mokuba whispered back and started calling Hari and told him to pick them up. Hari was alarmed by how Mokuba slurred his words.

"Mokuba, are you drunk?" Hari demanded horrified. Seto and Misty were going to flip when they heard about this…

"I dunno. We… feel good though, …and we want… to come home," Mokuba slurred, his words being punctuated with hiccups.

"Stay there! I'm on my way!" Hari commanded and hung up. He immediately grabbed the keys to the limo and hurried there as legally as possible.

While they waited for him, Mokuba and Sophia were kissing and making out heavily. When he came and honked the horn, they parted, and he helped them inside, and tried to make them drink from water bottles, but they were more interested in each other and resumed making out. Hari got in and focused on getting them home safely while occasionally yelling at them to stop without taking his eyes off the road. He was relieved when he got them home, and tried in vain once more to get them to stop, but they were too fast for him as they ascended the stairs quickly, occasionally kissing, and then they got to Mokuba's room. Mokuba locked the door, and then they hurried to the bed and resumed making out.

* * *

 **THIS SECTION CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT WITH CLINICAL AND ANATOMICAL TERMS. PLEASE SKIP THIS SECTION IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ THE GRAPHIC SEXUAL CONTENT.**

They were panting and were excited as they were making out. Mokuba kissed her neck, and both of them were starting to get overheated. Mokuba paused panting, and started to take his jacket, belt, pants, shoes, socks, vest, tie, and shirt off until he was in his boxers. Sophia had watched with rapt attention and was blushing. So far, Mokuba looked so handsome and lean. Her breath caught in her throat when he started to slip his boxers down his lean, pale legs, and his 6" penis sprang forward, standing erect and throbbing, desperate for pleasure. Sophia's jade green eyes were wide in fascination as she eyed the length and girth of his circumcised penis. Mokuba looked like a Greek god to her right now.

"Wow, Mokuba," Sophia gasped in admiration. Mokuba blushed a little at her admiration.

"Thank you," Mokuba replied. Sophia then decided she wanted to get undressed, but she was struggling to get her dress off. She had gotten her shoes and hose off.

"Want me to help you?" Mokuba offered.

"Yes! Please!" Sophia begged and turned around for him to access her zipper easier. Mokuba came forward, and was a little more excited as he slid the zipper down and helped her slip the dress off her slim, alabaster body, leaving her in her black bra and panties. Sophia blushed crimson as she stood there in her underwear in front of him, and then undid her bra, freeing her creamy, large, soft breasts. Her rosy nipples were hardened in eager anticipation and arousal. Mokuba's grey eyes were wide with excited pleasure, and more so as she slipped her black panties down her thighs and off her legs, leaving her standing naked in front of him.

"Oh Sophia, you look so beautiful!" Mokuba gasped.

"Thank you Mokuba," Sophia replied and smiled. Mokuba smiled and came closer and kissed her softly as they got back on the bed. He kissed her neck, eliciting a soft moan from her.

"Oh Mokuba," Sophia moaned and started to explore his body with her hands as he kissed her.

"Oh Sophia!" Mokuba exclaimed as he arched and moaned in pleasure. Sophia squeezed his soft but lean butt and pulled him closer, feeling his penis poke her thigh a little. Sophia liked how he was putty in her hands.

"Mokuba… lie down. I want to touch and explore you," Sophia requested. Obediently, Mokuba lay on his back and loved the sight of her body above him. Sophia started to rub and caress each inch of his lean, sexy body, and then she took his quivering and throbbing penis in her hands and started to caress, stroke, and gently knead it.

"OH! SOPHIA!" Mokuba moaned and gripped the sheets in utter pleasure, and bucked up to her hand. His penis was now throbbing painfully. He had to be inside her soon or he felt like he'd explode! Sophia was fascinated by how he felt and how he responded to her, and she was getting excited and a little wet.

"Mokuba! Take a turn exploring me!" Sophia commanded and lay back on the bed. Mokuba growled a little in pleasure as he was now above her. He kissed her neck down to her plump, creamy breasts, and then latched his mouth onto one nipple while he fondled the other breast with his hand. Sophia moaned and arched up and gripped his thick, ebony hair. It was so oddly satisfying. He then switched breasts and latched onto the other one with his mouth, and fondled the one he'd been sucking on with his other hand. Sophia moaned more and gripped his hair tighter. Mokuba growled in pleasure and trailed his hand down her soft belly to her vulva and started to rub gently at first, then he found he clitoris. Sophia gasped and bucked up more. "Oh! MOKUBA!" Sophia exclaimed. Mokuba got more excited and started to rub a bit more vigorously, driving her crazier. His penis throbbed harder now, but first, he wanted to let his fingers explore her a little. He slowly inserted his middle finger into her moist vagina and they both moaned as his finger rubbed her upper wall. He hooked his finger in a come hither motion and found the slightly enlarged and spongy spot that was her G-spot. Sophia gasped and moaned as he stimulated that spot, and bucked harder. Mokuba inserted another finger, and stroked it with both fingers.

"Mokuba! Please! I need you now! Take me!" Sophia begged, unable to take much more. Mokuba groaned in pleasure as he removed his fingers from her vagina and positioned himself so he could enter and thrust into her easily. His glans penis (the tip) teased the entrance to her vagina.

"Don't tease!" Sophia begged and gripped his butt, encouraging him to come closer. Mokuba kissed her passionately and pushed his penis inside, shuddering and moaning as her warm, wet vagina surrounded his penis.

"Oh baby, you're so tight!" Mokuba exclaimed as he was deep inside her. Sophia gasped and gripped his butt tight while she adjusted. "Are you alright?" Mokuba asked concerned.

"I just need a minute," Sophia replied and kissed him softly. Mokuba kissed back and waited for her to be ready. When she was, she moved and bucked against him. Mokuba moaned and started moving slowly and moaned a bit louder with the friction as he thrust inside her. Sophia moaned and squeezed his butt more urging him on to go faster and harder, to which he eagerly obliged.

"OH MOKUBA!" Sophia exclaimed.

"OH SOPHIA!" Mokuba exclaimed as he was going fast and hard. This feeling felt so intoxicating. They started feeling like they were floating up to space. He continued thrusting for a good 10 minutes, and he was going crazy. He couldn't hang on much longer, but he was damned determined to make her orgasm before he could explode. Thankfully, Sophia could feel something coming, an explosion on the horizon.

"Mokuba! I feel something coming!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Me too!" Mokuba exclaimed and moaned desperately. "Let it come!" he begged and cried out and growled as he couldn't hold back anymore and exploded into her like a firecracker. A moment later, Sophia gasped and felt her vaginal walls collapse around his penis. Both of them were so exhausted and were panting tiredly and sweating as they enjoyed the cosmic post-coital connection to each other. Mokuba lay next to her and pulled her close, remaining inside her. He kissed her softly and poured as much of his love into it as he could manage. "I love you so much," Mokuba whispered in her ear. "You mean the world to me…" he added. Sophia felt giddy and happy hearing that.

"I love you so much too, Mokuba. You mean the world to me too," Sophia repeated as she nuzzled against him, with her head on his chest. Mokuba was equally happy hearing that. He gazed into her soft, jade green eyes with his deep silvery-grey eyes and smiled at her tenderly and kissed her head and her lips. He ran his fingers through her curls and down her back, which was utterly relaxing to both of them. Mokuba eventually separated himself from her warmth, and then wrapped both of them in his blanket. Sophia nestled closer against him and he wrapped his arms around her tight before the both of them drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 **WE WILL NOW RESUME OUR STORY IN PROGRESS.**

The next morning… Sophia stirred from her sleep and saw that she was sleeping in Mokuba's arms, but felt a lot lighter than normal. Then she realized they were naked… and they had made love. She gently nudged Mokuba awake, and he stirred and groaned a little before opening his hazy grey eyes and smiled at her when they focused on her features.

"Good morning my love," Mokuba greeted sleepily. Sophia blushed a deep crimson and was trying to cover herself. Mokuba was curious as to why she was covering herself. "Why are you trying to hide yourself?" he asked.

"Babe, we did it…" Sophia explained still blushing.

"What?" Mokuba asked surprised and then realized he was naked, and then the memories from last night came flooding over him. "Oh my God… I'm so sorry…" he apologized.

"Don't be sorry. It's okay," Sophia reassured him, caressed his face, and kissed him softly.

"Are you sure?" Mokuba asked in confirmation.

"Yes. I love you so much Mokuba," Sophia told him. Mokuba smiled and caressed her face now.

"I love you so much too," Mokuba replied. He held her close for a bit, and allowed her to use the restroom first before he did. They then got dressed into their pajamas, and held hands going down the stairs. The found Rosa sitting in the living room with Shadow at her feet. Rosa was crying in horror as she watched the news on TV, detailing a report about students from their high school getting into horrific wrecks not far from where the prom was. It was like a minefield of accidents.

"Rosa?" Mokuba and Sophia asked to get her attention. They were a little alarmed, for they had never seen her crying. Rosa looked up and saw them and ran to them and hugged them tight. Shadow had been on her heels and was leaning up against Mokuba and Sophia's legs in her own little way of hugging them, and was panting happily.

"THANK GOD YOU'RE BOTH OKAY!" Rosa exclaimed as she held them crying.

"Rosa? What's going on?" Sophia asked.

"I'M SO GLAD HARI TOOK YOU TO PROM AND BROUGHT YOU HOME! THERE WERE WRECKS ALL OVER THE PLACE, NOT FAR FROM WHERE THE PROM WAS!" Rosa bemoaned. "ALL THOSE STUDENTS IN THOSE WRECKS WERE FROM YOUR PROM AND WERE SUPER DRUNK!"

"WHAT?!" Mokuba and Sophia exclaimed in shock and horror.

"Impossible! The teachers and chaperones wouldn't have allowed alcohol at the prom!" Sophia protested.

"Did the punch taste funny to you at all?" Rosa asked.

"…Actually yes. It tasted funny, and it burned going down, and then we felt much looser than normal, and I have a fuzzy memory of the chaperones saying not to drink it, but after that not much," Mokuba answered.

"The punch was spiked!" Rosa exclaimed.

"Oh God… it was…" Sophia realized. Rosa held them tight again, just so happy and relieved that Mokuba and Sophia were ok, but she was also crying at the fact that they could've died last night, and Seto and Misty would've been devastated and out for blood. She had no doubt that they probably would be anyway. Sophia and Mokuba let her hold them for a little while, until she calmed down.

"What do you want for breakfast? I'll make you anything," Rosa offered.

"I guess some pancakes and scrambled eggs would be good," Mokuba suggested. Rosa nodded and immediately went to work making their breakfast. Mokuba and Sophia decided to cheer her up and helped her make the breakfast and clean it up after they ate with Shadow resting on their feet.

"Thank you, kiddos," Rosa thanked them and gave them another hug before going to work on other chores, while Mokuba and Sophia went to go reflect on what happened last night, while Shadow stayed with them. Shadow tried to distract them and tried to encourage them to play, but they were in too somber of a mood, so she nuzzled them and offered cuddles to comfort them. Both Mokuba and Sophia sort of dreaded making the Skype call to Seto and Misty and telling them what happened last night with prom; Seto and Misty, especially Misty, didn't need any more intense news, especially with all they were dealing with in regards to Lulu. Mokuba and Sophia knew they were going to flip out, but there wasn't much they could do right now in San Antonio. Mokuba thought about not calling them but, knew they would be angrier knowing something almost happened and they had no idea. Mokuba sighed deeply, and Skype-dialed Misty's phone. His heart raced with every torturously long Skype ring until he heard her voice.

"Hey Mokuba," Misty greeted with a smile on the screen. From what Mokuba could tell, they were out in a busy part of the city, and it was night-time. He guessed it was the Riverwalk.

"Hey Mokuba," Seto echoed. He and Misty could tell it was daytime back home.

"So, tell us! How was prom?" Misty demanded eagerly.

"Well…" Mokuba began.

"Well?" Misty and Seto encouraged.

"It's a long story…" Mokuba began, and he and Sophia told them what happened. Misty and Seto were utterly horrified.

"SOMEONE SPIKED THE PUNCH WITH ALCOHOL AND AN APHRODISIAC?!" they demanded shocked. Mokuba and Sophia nodded grimly.

"This morning, a lot of our fellow students at the prom were killed in wrecks all over the place, not far from where the prom was," Sophia chimed in.

"You mean… you two could've DIED last night?!" Misty and Seto demanded.

"Yeah…"

"Oh my God…" Misty and Seto replied feeling like they got kicked in the gut. "Are you two alright?!" they demanded.

"Yeah, we're fine… just a little pensive right now…"

"I can imagine…" Misty replied sympathetically. "Thank God you two are alright and Hari was the one to take you there and home!" Misty exclaimed utterly grateful.

"Amen to that…" Seto agreed. Mokuba and Sophia nodded.

"How's Lulu?" Mokuba asked, changing the subject. Instantly, Seto and Misty's faces sank. "That bad?" Mokuba asked.

"Oh yes…" Misty replied.

"I'm sorry Misty…" Mokuba said gingerly.

"Thank you… Alright, we better go… We'll deal with the chaperones and teachers in a bit…" Misty told him. "We love y'all both and we're so glad you're okay."

"That's right, we love you," Seto echoed. It was extremely poignant for him to say that to Mokuba and Sophia right now, so it meant a lot.

"We love you too," Mokuba and Sophia replied to both Misty and Seto before they hung up. He felt a little better after they told Misty and Seto, but not much better because he knew they would unleash hell the first chance they got.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope y'all enjoyed 13! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW THIS AND PREVIOUS CHAPTERS TO GUARANTEE AN IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF CH. 14!


	14. Journey to the Rainbow Bridge

**A/N:** **WARNING:** This chapter WILL make you cry, especially if you're an animal lover who has lost a beloved pet. Get some tissues ready, y'all are going on a FEELS trip. It will be very emotional up until the last quarter, when it starts to be a little cheerier. You will see Misty at her lowest and most vulnerable.

A special thanks to my dear friend and loyal patron james. collins. 77770 for his review that guaranteed the release of this emotional chapter.

Oh, and fyi, lemons at this point will be ONLY at PIVOTAL moments in the story, and yes, I will give warning when a lemon will happen.

As always, don't forget to review this and previous chapters! Fresh reviews= new releases.

And this is kind of another anniversary chapter (since the 1 year anniversary of my publishing this version of the story was 11 days ago). So Happy Anniversary (again) Fiery Guardian! *throws purple and blue confetti*

This is also in honor of Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day today (Aug. 28th) T_T *sniffles* Don't forget to remember your beloved pets that have crossed the Rainbow Bridge today. I'm so glad this chapter was out in time for this day.

* * *

Back in San Antonio…

"What do we do Seto?" Misty asked once they hung up with Mokuba. They were both extremely angry and fed up with the school. They were extremely close to losing both Mokuba and Sophia amongst all the other teens that were at the prom, all because the school couldn't properly monitor refreshments at a simple prom. Thankfully, Hari had kept them safe and left before the wrecks happened.

"I'm calling the superintendent and my lawyers. I'm sick and tired of the school being so irresponsible and incompetent, especially when it comes to how they handle their students," Seto answered.

"Let's go back to the hotel first," Misty suggested. They waited for a trolley bus and caught it a few minutes later to their hotel and hurried to their room. Misty sat on the bed while Seto called his lawyers and the superintendent on his phone, but of course got the voicemails. He left messages, and then got on his laptop and emailed them too. Seto was still a bit angry.

"Honey, there's not much we can do right now… We'll have to be patient," Misty said gently. Seto scowled at her.

"I know you're angry and you want to get this done ASAP, and believe me I want them to be held accountable too, but it is Sunday morning back home. They're probably not in the office right now, and I'm sure that they have their hands full at the moment. We can try to call again tomorrow evening," Misty suggested calmly and logically, trying to placate him. Seto growled in frustration. Misty went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him trying to calm him down. Seto reluctantly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I'm just upset we almost lost them… I don't know what I'd do if I lost Mokuba especially, or you," Seto confessed.

"I understand," Misty replied and gave him a soft kiss and held him tight. Seto held her tight and kissed her forehead and her lips."

"Thank you," Seto whispered in her ear.

"You're welcome honey," Misty replied and led him to the bed so they could lie down and relax. They lay on the bed and held each other, watching TV, until they started feeling uncomfortable with their cumbersome clothes, so they decided to strip down and cuddled, enjoying the skin-on-skin contact. Eventually, it turned into another passionate and protected lovemaking session, which left them feeling both blissfully relaxed.

* * *

The next day, after a hearty breakfast, Misty called her mom and let her know that they were going to SeaWorld today. Her mom agreed to let them know if Lulu had any serious changes. They went to SeaWorld, and Misty instructed him on the best things they could do while there to make their day smoother and more enjoyable. Granted, there had been some changes since she'd been here last fall, but she still knew what to do. She chattered a lot, almost like a little kid, about all her experiences there when she had worked there. Seto was a bit amused with how lively she was, and he enjoyed her stories. They saw the shows and were entertained, and then he was curious about the animal interactions. They had extra room on a couple animal encounters, so he booked them and they got to enjoy seeing the animals up close, and learn all about how the trainers worked with them. They made sure to get pictures of their animal interactions, and Misty advised that they pick up the pictures later, on the way out. They then decided to ride the rides, and at least the lines weren't so long. Seto was having fun on the rides and was getting some more ideas for Kaiba Land. Sure, SeaWorld was impressive, but he was still partial to Kaiba Land. When they had dinner, they went and got barbecue from Shamu's Smokehouse, and he had to admit this barbecue was delicious too. Later, they had grown tired, and decided it was time to leave. Before they left, they went to pick up their pictures, and decided to get it on CD, and got some souvenirs for Mokuba and Sophia. Misty and Seto picked out a t-shirt for Mokuba and a seal plushie for Sophia. They then went and got in the car, and drove back to the hotel. Once they got in, she checked her phone and was relieved that Lulu was relatively okay today. Seto then decided to try calling his lawyers and superintendent again, and this time he got an answer. He was angry as he spoke to the already exhausted superintendent, demanding an investigation into the school, and charges be pressed. The superintendent felt like he'd been kicked hard in the gut. Yes, he felt terrible for all the students who died after the prom, and he felt terrible that the school couldn't stop it from happening, but the school and district didn't need these charges of abuse and neglect hanging over their heads. Seto then called the lawyers and opened a case against the school and superintendent. Seto felt somewhat satisfied that he was getting this taken care of. This was going to be a heavy-duty case, and he was sure he had a lot of parents and guardians who would back him up.

"Way to handle it honey," Misty complimented him. Seto smirked proudly and kissed her passionately, like "Damn right!"

* * *

The next day, they went back to her mom's house and did the usual routine they had been doing- keeping an eye on Lulu during the day while Seto worked on his laptop, then leaving, dinner, playing tourist/working on wedding planning, and going back to the hotel. Whenever Misty and Seto went back to the hotel, she was feeling sick and depressed, and she would only allow him to cuddle with her, clothed. Seto understood. Occasionally, they would email Mokuba to check in and remind him to give Shadow some love for them. In their touristing times, he got the gifts he had set out to get for her family, and had given them to Misty's parents and Wes. They were excited about the gifts and found more favor with him. For the Spurs tickets he got Misty's mom, he had gotten them for the end of April, so she could go and enjoy the game, in the front row, without having to worry about Lulu. Her mom really appreciated it and was bowled over. Misty's father loved the arrows and nocks Misty suggested, and Wes was excited about learning Photoshop for his pictures.

" _Way to curry favor with your future in-laws!" Seto's inner self gave kudos to him._

" _Thank you," Seto replied with an internal nod. He was proud that he had earned "brownie points", as Misty called them, with her family. He was sure he'd have a good relationship with his future in-laws, and wouldn't have to worry much about them. He didn't understand why people had such bad relationships with their in-laws… it wasn't hard to just respect them and set boundaries._

" _Some people have easier times with their in-laws than others," his inner self reasoned with a shrug._

" _I guess…I'm just glad I'm going to have good in-laws," Seto replied and his inner self nodded. He was kind of excited to have a big family soon._

* * *

Each day was more and more painful for Misty as she watched Lulu declining. She wasn't really eating, and she was struggling to keep food and water down. She also grew more and more lethargic and she was hurting.

Misty decided to take a few pictures with her, while she had a few days left, and got some good ones. Misty struggled not to cry as she was watching her, and Seto felt terrible for her. It was painful for him to watch too. Occasionally he would squeeze Misty's hand and hold her close while Lulu was on her lap. As Lulu degressed worse, her mom decided to stay and work from home, especially when Lulu wasn't responding as well in the morning, and struggled to get up. One morning, Misty's mom called her panicking because Lulu wasn't really being responsive. She was worried that it might've been time. Misty promised to be there shortly. She and Seto hurriedly got dressed.

"What's going on?" Seto asked confused about why they were in such a hurry.

"Lulu isn't responding well this morning… Mom is scared…" Misty explained.

"Oh…" Seto replied and finished getting ready, and they locked up their hotel room and went to the car and headed over there as quickly as the law allowed.

"Do you think it's time?" Seto asked gently. He didn't want to upset Misty or her mom.

"I don't know… I hope not…" Misty replied. She then saw her dad's truck there in the driveway beside her mom's Rogue. She parked behind her mom, and they hurried inside. When they walked in, Lulu perked up and went to greet them. Misty pet her and hugged her and asked what was going on.

"She was unresponsive this morning and I had to carry her down the stairs, and I called your dad to see if he can come over and help, after he dropped Wes off at school.

"And when y'all walked in, she was as spunky as usual. She was just lying there wheezing a few minutes ago," her father explained. Then Lulu went to return to her spot where she was lying down. Misty was upset and cried a little as she sat on the floor with Lulu and her parents. Seto sat with her and rubbed her back and they stroked Lulu.

"So what are we going to do?" Misty asked, her voice breaking slowly.

"We might have to take her to the vet," her mom answered with her voice breaking.

"Let's go. We can take the truck," Misty's dad offered. He knew his ex-wife didn't want the dogs in her car, and both she and Misty were emotional, and that made a bad combination on the road, especially if it looked like it was going to rain. Her mom then decided to take Lulu on a short walk up and down the short connector street to the other street. Lulu perked right up as she walked, but when Misty's mom returned with her, Lulu's back leg was shaking in pain. They then got her in the truck, and Misty and Seto sat in the backseat with her, while her mom sat shotgun in the front passenger seat, and her dad was driving. Surprisingly, Lulu was pretty calm during the drive to the vet's office, which she never usually was when Misty would drive her to the vet in the backseat of the car. Today, Lulu simply lay in between Seto and Misty, and wagged her tail a few times in Misty's lap, while her head was in Seto's lap. Seto sighed and gently pet her. Lulu was panting and feeling relaxed. Misty smiled as he was giving her sweet Lulu some love. When they got to the vet's office, her mom took Lulu to the grassy patch to do her business and they checked in. Lulu then started feeling lethargic once again, and eventually the vet techs took Misty, her mom, and Lulu back, while Seto sat with her dad. Misty and her mom explained to the vet what was going on and were told they would have to leave Lulu for the day for a thorough examination.

"So how are you holding up, Seto?" Misty's dad asked him.

"I'm a little stressed out… I'm doing my best to help Misty and her mom while they deal with Lulu, and I'm trying to help Misty feel better and take her mind off it sometimes, but it gets hard, and I'm not sure how to deal with grief too well," Seto admitted.

"Yeah, I understand, but you've been doing great so far. I would say just keep doing what you're doing and stay patient. Misty and her mom definitely appreciate your help," her father encouraged.

"Thank you. That's a comforting thought," Seto replied feeling a little relieved to hear about that.

"I noticed that you and her mom don't talk much, but you're willing to help out, like this morning," Seto observed.

"Yeah, I help more for the sake of Misty and Wes, and I love Lulu too," her father explained.

"Ah I see," Seto nodded. Then Misty and her mom came out.

"We have to go home for a little while. They'll call us when they're ready for us to pick her up," Misty's mom explained.

"Alright," her father nodded and they got up and got back in the truck and headed back to the house. Seto held Misty close in the backseat and squeezed her hand. Her father dropped them off, and left to go to work late.

While they waited for the vet to call them, Misty's mom and Seto did some of their work, and Misty just went to relax and watch TV quietly. When the vet called hours later, they got into Misty's car and picked her up. Lulu was a bit perkier, but was still calmer in the backseat than she normally was. Misty's mom sat in the back with Lulu while Seto sat shotgun in the front seat. It had turned out that Lulu had gotten a hold of some plastic in the trash, and that was what made her sick, today. She was still degressing terribly with her kidney failure.

* * *

That night, her mom had asked Seto and Misty to run to HEB to get some more rice for her to make some more of her homemade, renal-friendly dog food for Lulu, even though Lulu was eating less and less each day. They went in and got the rice, and as they were coming out, a stupid woman with kids in the backseat was speeding in the parking lot and came extremely close to mowing Misty and Seto down. Thankfully, she was JUST in front of them, and there were witnesses nearby.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! STUPID BITCH!" Misty yelled at her as she drove away. She knew that the bitch could hear her because the windows were down, and the bitch was not willing to come back and apologize. Seto was a little alarmed that they had almost gotten run over by some careless bitch mother.

"Are you alright?" Seto asked genuinely concerned as he looked Misty over.

"I'm fine, I'm just super pissed off," Misty answered irritably. They got out of the street and Seto hugged her to try to calm her down, but he was kinda angry too. If that bitch had hit them and they survived, he would've sued the hell out of her. From what Misty had said, pedestrians ALWAYS had the right of way here.

"Will you be alright to drive?" Seto asked, still reassessing her mental state. He would've driven if he could, but he was not allowed to.

"I'll be fine… I've had worse almost happen to me," Misty assured him and they got in the car and she drove home. When she came home, her mom instantly knew something was up with the angry energy radiating off of them.

"What's the matter?" her mom asked concerned.

"We were on the way back to the car and some bitch almost mowed us down because she was speeding in the parking lot," Seto answered for Misty. Her mom's eyes widened.

"Are y'all alright?" her mom asked concerned.

"Yeah… we're just pissed off… she came really close to hitting us too," Misty replied.

"I can certainly tell you're angry, but you can relax and calm down now," her mom suggested. "Thanks for getting the rice."

"You're welcome. We better head back to the hotel," Misty bade.

"You need to calm down before you get on the road. I know how you get when you're pissed off," her mom advised.

"Alright," Misty relented a little irritably and then went and sat down and loved on Lulu a bit, which calmed her down. Lulu gave her kisses and was happy for the attention, and then started coughing violently again. Misty and Seto sighed heavily, and decided it was time to go before she started getting emotional again. She really didn't feel like going out tonight, and neither did Seto, so they went straight to the hotel and relaxed. When they fell asleep, she had nightmares again. Seto was there to hold her and listen, but he understood that because it was so close, she was likely to have them more often. It was a matter of just being any day now.

* * *

The following Friday, her mom was working on her laptop, and she found an article on Facebook she definitely wanted Misty to see.

"Misty! Look at this!" her mom exclaimed as she waved Misty to her laptop. Misty's eyes widened and she gasped. The article was titled "3 Amazing Ways To Honor A Dog That Has Passed Away", and the picture of the dog that went with the article was that of a silver-and black speckled Catahoula-Lab with a graying face that looked JUST like Lulu, and an older version of Shadow, or even one of Lulu's brothers and her sister. It was like fate… the article could not have come at a more proper time.

"That's so uncanny! We were MEANT to see this right now," Misty remarked to her mom.

"I think so too," her mom agreed.

"What is it?" Seto asked as he noticed they were looking at her mom's laptop. Misty looked up and waved him over to join them. Immediately, Seto crossed the kitchen and stood behind them to see what they were looking at, and just like Misty, his ice blue eyes widened in surprise. The timing and picture of this article could not have been more suiting to the situation. It was an odd and amazing coincidence. Misty's mom shared the article, and Misty got on her laptop she had brought with her, and read and shared the article. They continued to hang about the house, and Seto worked on his laptop, as usual, until it was time to go back to the hotel.

* * *

The next day, Saturday, Misty and Seto tried feeding and giving water to Lulu, while her mom was out and about running errands. The weather outside was dreary and ugly, and it matched the gloomy mood they were feeling perfectly. Lulu had managed to slowly eat something and drink water as Misty poured it from a bottle into her hand over a bowl while Lulu lapped the water in her hand, though it was like pulling teeth to get her to eat and drink. Not but 30 minutes later, she had thrown everything up, in four different spots around the living room.

"Oh Lulu…" Misty bemoaned a bit, and Lulu had a guilty look on her face. Misty sighed heavily and she and Seto started cleaning it up. Seto wasn't thrilled about having to clean up the clear, foamy vomit, but Misty needed help, and he was there to support and help her and her mom during this grievous time. Misty called her mom and let her know that Lulu ate some, but threw up 4 times in different spots. Of course, her mom was exasperated and kind of sad. Luckily, she promised she'd be home soon. In the meantime, Misty and Seto sat on the couch watching TV and cuddling, while Lulu lay on her memory foam dog bed right in front of them. She could hear Lulu's stomach rumbling and she looked so tired and lethargic. When Misty's mom came home, she had brought some barbacoa for them to eat, and Seto got to enjoy it again. The saltiness of the meat combined with some avocado was just what Misty was craving. Misty's mom spent some time taking pictures of Lulu when she was most energetic that day, and then Misty saw something that broke her heart a little more… a cremation pamphlet for pets. It was like salt in an open wound, because it made Lulu's death a lot more of a harsh, extremely imminent reality. Misty then went to pick up Wes so he could have some time to spend with mom and Lulu. _Wes told his big sister that he had a dream about Lulu, that she was so confused about why everyone was so sad around her lately, and she asked Wes in a little girl's voice "What's going on? Why is everyone so sad around me?"_

" _We're trying to take good care you and make you comfortable because you're really sick and dying," Wes replied. He couldn't remember anything else after that, but it was a sad dream._

"Wow," Misty and Seto remarked. Misty then relayed her nightmares to her brother, and Seto confirmed them. Seto noticed that when they weren't lampooning each other, Wes and Misty were actually really sweet and clearly cared about each other. They came back to their mother's house, and Wes hugged their mother and then went to Lulu, who was happy to see him, but then resumed being lethargic. Wes had relayed his dream to their mother, and she got a little emotional. After a little while, Wes was ready to go home, and Misty and Seto were ready to go back to the hotel. Wes honestly was a lot more impressed with Seto's patience with them, and Lulu as of late. Misty dropped her brother off at her father's house, and drove quietly to the hotel, with the exception of the radio playing cheerful tunes. Misty gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as she was trying to hold herself together, and Seto rubbed her shoulders as she drove. She was obviously feeling worse since she saw that stupid pamphlet. He kind of wished he could cheer her up by taking her out and about downtown to see more of the Fiesta stuff, but she was completely swallowed by the tide of grief, so he left her alone. When they came into their room, they took a bath together and then relaxed in their pajamas on the bed, watching local TV. He stroked her back as they lay together, and kissed her head. Misty cuddled closer, and silently rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

" _I feel like I'm going stir-crazy," he thought feeling a little suffocated by the grief that radiated off of her._

" _I know… I am too… but she needs us…" his inner self pointed out reluctantly. He wanted desperately to be stimulated with more of San Antonio food and culture. He was so bored being cooped up in this hotel room, surfing the grievous tide, but he knew that Misty would definitely appreciate the fact that he was here at her weakest and most vulnerable. "Besides, the more patient you are, the more beloved you are by her family," his inner self added. Seto nodded reluctantly. True, "brownie points" with her family were always great, but he wanted stimulation._

" _Please cheer up a little…" Seto begged Misty inside his head, though he knew it was rather moot._

Misty, however, felt a little guilty that she felt too heartbroken to take him out and have fun with him in her hometown, but she was grateful that he was being so patient with her, her family, and Lulu.

" _You know you're going to have to reward him for being so patient," her inner self prodded._

" _I know," Misty agreed despondently._

* * *

The next day, Sunday, Lulu could not keep ANYTHING down, not even apples or carrots, which she LOVED eating. Misty's mom had also taken to sleeping downstairs on the couch with Lulu on her memory foam dog bed in front of the couch since it was too painful for her to go up the stairs anymore. She had a couple days at most left. Misty, her mom, and Seto knew Misty would be too overcome with grief, so Misty and Seto packed up to 3 days' worth of clothes and their laptops, and were staying in her old bedroom. It had been pretty much left untouched since she had moved out. Seto had to admit seeing all the stuff she had left behind in her room was fascinating. He also knew that her mom felt a little weird with him staying in Misty's room with Misty, but there was nothing she could do, as it was the only place he could sleep. On the bright side, her mom felt like she could trust him completely. Plus, Misty and Seto wouldn't have it any other way. She had grown so accustomed to sleeping against him every night, and she felt safer and better with him holding her, especially during her nightmares.

* * *

That following Tuesday…

It was the day Misty and her family had been dreading… Lulu was lethargic and wasting away, but she still had just enough spunk left. She knew it was her time to go today. She was being as extra affectionate as she could manage. Misty's mom couldn't take any more of watching her beloved fur-baby wasting away, so she called the vet, struggling to keep her composure together. Her hand was shaking as it held her cellphone against her ear.

"Y-yes… I'd like…t-to make…an…ap-appointment for…euth…euthanization…f-for my dog…L-Lulu…" Misty's mom told the vet, her voice cracking a little, and made the appointment for 3:30 that afternoon, since Wes was in school. She wanted him to be there, and he would need to lift her in and out of the car. Overhearing her mom making the appointment, upset Misty even worse. Seto held his weeping fiancée and couldn't help crying himself since the grief was so strong and contagious. Lulu knew they were sad, and licked their hands as she lay on their laps on the couch, with a puppy potty training pad underneath her head to keep their clothes and the couch clean in case she dry-heaved again. Every now and then she would violently gag-cough. As much as Misty didn't want to lose her sweet baby, she couldn't bear to watch her suffering anymore. The hours passed by quietly, with the occasion of one of Lulu's piercing gag-coughs punctuating the silence. Misty and her mom were a little calmer now, and Misty was fit enough to drive. At 2:30 p.m., she was almost too eager to leave to go get her brother, and Seto was relieved to go with her. They needed a short break away from Lulu. When they got there to Wes's school, she popped the trunk for him and Wes in his light blue scrubs put his stuff in the trunk and got in the backseat and gave them a brief hello. He had spoken to mom earlier when he was on a 10-minute break from class, and their mom had told him about Lulu's appointment. He was relatively calm, but it weighed on his mind too. Misty hurried home within legal limits, and saw that their mom and Lulu were outside waiting for them, after a brief walk. Of course, Lulu's legs were shaking from the pain, but she looked utterly happy and energetic, a complete 180 from how she'd been the last few days. Their mom had taken a picture of Lulu with her big smile. They smiled a little at how happy Lulu looked. Misty got in the backseat of her mom's Rogue, on top of the light turquoise quilt while Wes and Seto helped gingerly put Lulu in the backseat. Lulu immediately went over to Misty and lay in her lap happily. Seto then got in the backseat with Lulu and Misty, while Wes sat shotgun in the front seat. Their mom then made sure the house was locked up and shut the garage door that had been open once she was outside. Lucky knew something was up, and he waited by the garage door that led to the house. Misty and Wes's mom then shut the automated garage door and got in the car, sniffling a little. She turned on the car, and drove about a mile away to a nearby veterinary hospital. Misty had tears flowing steadily from her eyes as she stroked Lulu's fur on the way, and she was surprised they had come to this one instead of Lulu's usual hospital. Her mom felt this would be a more personal good-bye here than if they had gone to Lulu's usual hospital, which was in a pet supply store. Misty and Wes understood and nodded; Lulu deserved a special farewell. Wes and Seto helped get Lulu out of the car, and Wes held her leash. Lulu looked happy as she walked beside Wes into the office. Seto immediately held Misty's hand knowing how upset she was, and she squeezed back. Misty and her mom were crying as they checked in for Lulu's appointment, and then they were led to a room with light turquoise blue walls, a monitor with a looping presentation playing of all the services offered by the vet, a stainless steel table near the floor, and there were health posters for cats and dogs on the walls. They had to admit, this was a nice office, and the staff seemed so nice. They shut the horizontally split door and Wes sat on the floor with a cheerful Lulu, hugging on her, and taking some final pictures with her, until she started feeling a little tired. She was utterly relaxed, which was unusual for her whenever she visited the vet. Seto sat beside their mom on the chairs, and Misty had joined her brother and Lulu on the floor. Misty and her mom both looked like Niobe, with their perpetual waterfall-like tears streaming from their chocolate eyes. Seto rubbed Misty's back with one hand as she sat in front of him loving on Lulu, and held their mother's hand with his other. Misty and her mom definitely appreciated it. As Misty and their mom liberally used the tissues, they could not find a trashcan, so they stuffed their tissues into Wes's scrub shirt pockets for now until they could find one. While they were spending their last minutes with Lulu, they reminisced about some of their favorite memories with her, especially the "rare, spotted-lab" story. Seto's ears perked up in curiosity.

"What's that story?" Seto asked, earning a chuckle from Misty, Wes, and their mother, and a tail wag from Lulu. "Tell me, I'm curious," Seto prompted.

"When Lulu was born, she was born to a yellow lab and a chocolate lab. We were surprised when she, 2 of her brothers, and one of her sisters came out SPECKLED. One of her brothers was tan with brown spots, and she and a brother and sister, from that litter, were black and silver like her. We had never seen anything like it before, and I talked to a vet on the phone to see what the vet would make of that, and the vet had never heard of anything like it before, so Wes and I started calling them 'rare, spotted-labs'," Misty began.

"I decided to take Lulu home when she was about 6, 7 weeks-old, after Misty and Wes begged and begged me to let them keep her. We took her to the vet, and the vet in all her years of training had never heard of a rare, spotted-lab. She said that Lulu was part Catahoula. Misty and Wes refused to listen and insisted 'No! She's a rare, spotted-lab!' The vet raised her eyebrows and was like '…okay then.' And while we were in the store, people would come up to us and say 'oh she's such a cute Catahoula puppy!' and of course, Misty and Wes would fight and insist 'No! She's a rare, spotted-lab!' and they all looked at Misty and Wes weird. My coworkers would even poke fun at their insistence when I told them about it. When I had pictures of Lulu on my desk, they would come up and say 'here we have the rare, spotted lab lounging in her natural habitat on her tie-dye bed,' and Misty and Wes would continue to get mad. I had to explain and show them why they would be Catahoula-labs, even when coming from a chocolate and a yellow lab, and eventually, they accepted it and understood, and to this day, it is a running joke in our family. I even told them that my final words on my death-bed would be 'rare, spotted-lab'," their mom added. Seto then started chortling with laughter.

"Wow, you were pretty stubborn!" Seto remarked to Misty. Misty was only semi-amused, but it helped with the heavy sadness in the room.

"Yes, we know," Misty and Wes replied. Seto chuckled for a little bit longer and then calmed down. It had been nice to share in that family memory with them. Lulu had started drooling and coughing violently once again, and it reminded them of why they were there, which made them start crying again. They couldn't take anymore of seeing her and hearing her in pain, so they asked for the vet. The vet was a nice, older lady with tinsel and light brown hair and green eyes, and she sat down on a chair and asked what was going on that made them decide to come here and euthanize Lulu. Misty and Wes's mom then started to explain that she had been having kidney failure for the last year, and the last couple months, it had been accelerating worse and worse, and her creatinine levels were at an 11, which was essentially near-fatal levels. She then explained that she had been unable to keep anything down anymore, and was refusing to eat or drink, she was in extreme pain and could barely move as well anymore, she was lethargic, coughing violently and drooling a lot. Wes had wondered why she was drooling so much, and the vet explained that Lulu is nauseous, and that was her way of expressing that. The vet understood their pain and agreed it was the best thing they could do for Lulu. Seto had to admit that he learned something new about dogs, and knew it would help him and Misty determine if Shadow back home was sick.

" _We'll need to teach Mokuba, Sophia, and the staff about how to determine if Shadow is sick," his inner self told him._

" _Later…" Seto insisted and made a mental note to tell them later._ Right now, Misty, Wes, their mom, and Lulu were more important, especially since Lulu was about to pass in a few minutes. The vet then explained that they were going to put a catheter in Lulu's foreleg and she would be back until they decided it was time for the vet to come back and administer the euthanizing medicine. The vet put a leash on Lulu and Lulu went willingly alongside her to the back, and Misty, Wes, and their mom were crying a bit more. They found a trashcan hidden in the cabinet under the sink and dumped their tissues in it. Seto sat with Misty on the floor and held her close. A few minutes later, the doctor had returned with Lulu, who now had a catheter in her partly shaved foreleg. The catheter was held in place by a sunset-colored, camo Coban tape. Lulu was actually a bit excited.

"I like that bandage on your leg," Wes told Lulu as he gave her a hug and she licked his face.

"Yeah, that's a cool tape," Misty agreed. The vet then let them be so they could say their good-byes to her, and told them to call her when they were ready. An assistant came in and brought in a plush, maroon, memory-foam rug and put it on the floor and brought more tissues for them.

"Look Lulu, you get the red carpet treatment," Misty and Wes's mom said and then had Lulu come and lie on the rug, and she, Misty, and Wes each took a turn giving her a tearful good-bye hug, and they earned a licking back. Seto even took a turn giving her a good-bye, and she licked his face in return. Seto felt his heart ache. They were ready. Wes opened the back door of the room that led to the staff and animal patient hallway and told them they were ready. They were crying and trembling with anticipation. Seto held Misty's hand to offer some comfort, and she squeezed back tight. The vet came in with the syringe and medicine, and prepared it, putting the pink drug in the syringe. The vet pet Lulu a little and then Misty, Wes, and her mom tearfully pet Lulu and kept her still as the vet then put the needle to the catheter, and slowly injected it. Immediately, Lulu put her head down on her paw with the catheter and her eyes closed. Misty, Wes, and their mom broke down a little more as the vet disposed of the needle and told them gently that she would come back in a few minutes. Seto couldn't help crying either as his love, her brother, and their mom sobbed. Misty held Lulu's body close.

"Misty, what are you doing?" her mom demanded.

"I just want to hold her," Misty explained as she cried holding her beloved baby's body. Eventually, Misty let go, and her mom rested her head on top of Lulu's.

"Hers my baby girl… I love you so much… I'm going to miss you," her mom said softly to Lulu's body and sobbed. Wes was standing and sobbing.

"I didn't think a dog could make me cry this much…" Wes said.

"Me either…" Seto agreed; he was more upset seeing his fiancée and her family looking so devastated and sobbing. This was the second death Seto actually witnessed; the first was when Gozaburo committed suicide when he and Mokuba took over the company, and the second was now, watching Lulu pass away. He felt more sadness here, and it rivaled the sadness he felt when he learned his and Mokuba's parents had died. He held Misty close in a comforting embrace, letting her stain his shirt with her tears, while his tears fell into her hair. The vet then came back into the room with her stethoscope and listened for Lulu's heart, only to hear silence.

"She's passed…" the vet informed them, and Misty, Wes, and their mom let out a choking sob. It was official… she was gone. The vet then had 2 assistants come in and told them that they were going to lift Lulu out and prepare her for when she would be taken for cremation.

"I can carry her," Wes offered.

"Are you sure?" his mom asked. Wes nodded and was trying to lift Lulu, but found he struggled a little because he didn't have a good grip on her, and she was falling out of his arms. Wes put Lulu down and the assistants both gingerly picked Lulu up and carried her to the back after Misty and Wes's mom took Lulu's collar off and held it tight in her hands. They took a couple minutes to compose themselves and decided it was time to check out and go. Misty and Wes's mom gave the keys to Misty so she and Wes could sit in the car while she paid the vet bill. Misty and Wes left the office and Misty got in the backseat and left the keys on her mom's seat, while Wes stood outside waiting. Seto had stayed behind with their mom.

"You can go sit in the backseat with Misty if you want…" their mom offered.

"No, let me take care of this…" Seto offered.

"Really?" she asked surprised. Seto nodded. Their mom offered a grateful smile. "Thank you Seto." Seto nodded and looked at the bill that was given to them for the euthanization and cremation services that were picked out. He immediately got out his card and paid for it without hesitation. He signed the merchant copy of the receipt and handed the customer copy to Misty and Wes's mom, along with the bill paper. They all got into the Rogue and Misty and Wes's mom drove them back to the house quietly. When they got to the house and parked in the garage, they shut the garage door and came inside. Lucky was looking behind their mom to see if Lulu was coming in behind them, but she wasn't there. They fed him and then the four of them embraced and broke down sobbing again. Misty and Wes's mom held back, but now she was letting the floodgates open. They were just so devastated and hurt. Seto hadn't wanted to really cry, but he relented and let himself, since it was just his future family here crying with him. They sobbed for a good 5 minutes, before they calmed down a little, and their mom decided to order pizza and a chocolate molten cake, since she nor Misty were up to cooking, and they wanted something quick, easy without going out, plus it was a pizza and molten chocolate cake kind of night. After they ate, Misty, Wes, and Seto gathered their things together and hugged their mom once more before they got into Misty's car. It was quiet in the car with the exception of the radio as Misty drove Wes home. After they dropped Wes off, Misty drove herself and Seto back to the hotel feeling pensive and quiet. Seto rubbed her shoulders as she drove and gave her hand a squeeze.

"How are you feeling?" Seto asked gently. Misty shook her head saying she did not feel like talking right now. She was so hollow and exhausted right now, but she wanted to focus on driving. "Will you talk to me at the hotel?"

"Maybe," Misty replied.

"Alright," Seto relented. When they parked the car and locked it after getting out, Seto held her close as they walked up to their room and settled in. Since they had put a Do Not Disturb sign on the room and informed the management that they would be out for a few days, everything in their room was just as they had left it.

"How about a bath?" Seto offered. Misty nodded because a bath sounded so good right now to help them relax. Misty and Seto got some pajamas and underwear ready, and he readied the bath for them. When it was ready, he called her, and they stripped down and relaxed in the bath.

"I feel so numb and hollow…" Misty explained. "I can't believe my baby girl is gone…"

"I know," Seto said sympathetically as he held her and caressed her gently in a respectful way.

"Thank you…" Misty told him softly. "It meant a lot to me and my family that you've been so patient with us as we were dealing with Lulu's imminent passing." Seto kissed her head.

"You're welcome. I love you," Seto told her softly.

"I love you too," Misty replied and kissed him. They finished their bath, dried off, and dressed and cuddled in bed.

"Misty?" Seto asked.

"Hm?" Misty asked.

"Since Lulu's passed now, may we resume our touristing and planning activities tomorrow evening?" Seto requested.

"Well, maybe tomorrow afternoon we can do some planning, and tomorrow and Thursday evening we can do a little bit of Fiesta activities at NIOSA in La Villita. We can help volunteer at my dad's booth, walk around a little bit, and see all the crazy Fiesta stuff there. Then, Friday we can go to New Braunfels for a bit and even stop at Buc-ee's, and maybe on the way back we can go visit my grandpa, and afterwards we can go to Boot Barn and get Mokuba's hat and boots, and maybe some for you too. Saturday, we can visit Six Flags Fiesta Texas before we have to go that night.

"That sounds good," Seto agreed as he kissed her head. "In the meantime, let's rest. Are you okay?" Seto asked her as he caressed her face and searched her chocolate eyes. He saw that she was exhausted and numb.

"Not really…" Misty answered heavily. "My baby girl is gone and I'm all cried out… I feel so numb and hollow right now…" she answered honestly.

"I understand. Are you sure you want to go out tomorrow?" Seto asked. He would be willing to sacrifice tomorrow to give her time to process and grieve, IF necessary.

"Yes… I have to take my mind off it… and I haven't been up to taking you out and showing you more of my hometown since her deteriorating condition preoccupied my mind. And I owe you that at least. You must've been so bored…" Misty answered.

"Honestly yes," Seto admitted. "But I understood… I wouldn't have wanted to go out if my mind was on someone I love that was sick and dying," he added gently. If he had promised someone, like a client, to take them out but either her or Mokuba were sick and dying, he wouldn't have wanted to go out; he would've wanted to stay at their side, especially if the time was so close. He would've wanted to have as many moments as he could get while he had that time left with them. Misty smiled and nuzzled closer and dozed off to sleep.

* * *

Misty was awoken the next morning and she checked the email on her phone and gasped in horror.

"Hm? What is it?" Seto mumbled.

"SOME BASTARD JUST HACKED MY EBAY AND ORDERED SOMETHING!" Misty shrieked in horror.

"WHAT?!" Seto asked fully alert now. Misty was angry and she spent at least an hour trying to fix it. Thankfully, it had only been an hour since the bastard ordered something, before she woke up, it hadn't gone to her bank yet, and her had locked down her account and she immediately started changing her passwords on sites she frequented, opening a dispute on and ensuring the order didn't' go through, and called the bank to not allow the charge to go through, just in case. She also called the police and filed a report with them too. She had also put extra verification layers onto her accounts to prevent further unauthorized access.

Seto was horrified that she had been hacked, and he was also angry. He checked his accounts and thankfully nothing had been ordered through any of his accounts. He saw the email that Misty showed him and thought the idiot was stupid to leave a shipping address. He knew Misty took care to be guarded about her card and accounts, and this was a bad time to make her mad, especially since she just lost her beloved dog. He decided to help her out, and tracked down the thief and dispatched a virus to him.

"Thanks babe," Misty said with relish as she kissed him.

"You're welcome. That'll teach him not to mess with you ever again," Seto said proudly. Misty smiled.

"You got that right. Let's get some breakfast and go," Misty suggested and they each got dressed and went down to get breakfast, and got in the car. Misty and Seto were still a little angry that someone had tried to do that to her, but at least they were satisfied in getting some revenge. They went and explored the museums near Brackenridge Park and the zoo today, and then they went to take care of some other arrangements for the wedding. Thankfully, all the arrangements were finally taken care of, and all they had to do was show up for the rehearsal, wedding, and reception in a month. That really helped take their, especially her, minds off of Lulu's passing and what happened this morning. They then started heading over to the garage by La Villita, parked, and walked around getting tickets for the food and fun for NIOSA tonight. They had their wristbands and volunteer papers and her dad got them in. They went to the booth and started helping him skewer marinated shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers to be grilled for tonight. It was kind of relaxing and cathartic to skewer shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers. When they had a good amount all ready to go, her dad had them stop. He let them go relax and told them they could grab a drink from his cooler in the way back of the booth, which was about 50 yards away. They went to the back, got a couple Cokes, and sat in the comfortable folding chairs and looked around at the currently empty street in front of them on the other side of the wrought-iron fences, save for other volunteers.

A little while later, when things started to pick up, Seto noticed how crowded the pathways were, and how crazy the people looked. It was a fantastic spectacle. Seto noticed everyone was having fun, and he watched Misty's father grilling and dancing, and he was wearing the crazy neon-orange shrimp hat. The other volunteers in the booth, were surprised at how Misty's dad was jamming out to the band's music across the pathway while he grilled and supervised everyone. They had not expected to see this fun side of him; he was so different at work. A little while later, Misty and Seto skewered more shrimp, onions, and green bell peppers until Misty's father told them they had enough for tonight.

As the sun set further down, the more crowded the pathways became. It was like a river of people wearing crazy-huge, colorful, and creative hats and accessories.

"Hey babe, want to go grab something to eat with our tickets and walk around?" Misty asked. Seto was a little unsure about venturing into the river of people, but he was curious about what else was there to see and experience here.

"Alright sure," he agreed. Misty smiled a little. "What is there to eat?" Misty chuckled.

"Pretty much anything you can imagine," Misty answered. "One of our most famous Fiesta foods is chicken fried steak on a stick. If you want, we can get some of our own shrimp parillas. Let's walk around and see what beckons to your belly," Misty offered and took his hand, and wore one of the neon-orange shrimp hats.

"Why are you wearing the shrimp hat?" Seto asked with an eyebrow raised.

"One, you'll be able to spot me easier, two, it's for advertisement," Misty reasoned. Seto nodded as that made sense and he held onto her hand.

"Don't let go of my hand," Seto commanded. He didn't want to lose her in this crowd, or get lost.

"Relax honey, I'll stay close, but even if we get separated, we know where the booth is right?" Misty replied gently.

"Just don't let go of my hand, please," Seto requested.

"Alright," Misty relented and held his hand as they blended into the crowd. Some people complimented her hat as they explored.

"Thanks! There's a grilled shrimp on a stick booth over that way," Misty replied as she pointed in the direction her dad's shrimp booth was.

"Really? Grilled shrimp on a stick? That sounds good. Thanks!" the other people replied. Seto had to admit that was a clever way to promote her dad's booth.

Seto had decided on some French-Cajun food, and they both enjoyed it after paying their tickets for the food. Along with the French-Cajun food, there was a lot of food he'd never tried before, all served here at NIOSA.

"Wow, they pretty much do have everything you can imagine eating here," Seto marveled.

"I told ya," Misty chuckled and they picked up some brownies and strawberries on sticks for dessert. They also got some cash for some of the souvenirs at one of the ATMS. They had a bag full of cool souvenirs they held in their clasped hands and they walked back to the booth. Misty put the hat back on the booth and the bag of souvenirs with her things. They went out to the pathway and danced to the band's music a little bit, then came back inside and relaxed in the chairs watching the people. A little while later, Misty showed him where the port-a-potties for volunteers were, and when they came back to the back of the booth, she gave him some of her hand sanitizer.

They hung out and helped a bit more, particularly when things started to die down and Misty's father needed to clean up until tomorrow. Misty's father appreciated the help and was further impressed with Seto. Once they helped their father with loading the truck with what needed to go home, they went to find her car.

"That was fun," Seto remarked as he held her hand through the parking garage.

"I'm glad you had fun," Misty replied with a smile. "We're doing it again tomorrow night too." Seto nodded and smiled.

"Do you feel better?" Seto asked gingerly.

"Yeah, I do honestly," Misty admitted. Everything that had been on her mind today melted away a bit. Helping her dad with his booth and having Seto along kept her mind busy and off Lulu's passing yesterday, and the stupid thief. Seto smiled and was relieved.

"Good," he nodded satisfied.

" _She does look better too," his inner self pointed out._

" _She sure does," Seto agreed, but there was something else that he couldn't put his finger on that made her look good too. He didn't worry about it._

"I can't wait to give these souvenirs to Mokuba, Sophia, and the staff," Misty said excitedly as they held the bag of Fiesta souvenirs.

"They'll be excited for sure," Seto agreed and they found her car. Misty drove them about 10 minutes back to their hotel, with the traffic. They got out, locked the car, and went up carrying their treasures from today and her purse. She set her purse and the souvenirs down with their things and felt Seto wrap his arms around her waist. Misty smiled and leaned into him. He held her for a little bit and they went and took their bath as usual to relax. They relaxed and dressed and climbed into bed. Seto gazed into her clear chocolate eyes with his sapphire eyes and caressed her face.

"I'm glad you're feeling better since what happened yesterday, the weeks before, and this morning," Seto told her gently. "And there's something about you that looks good too, but I can't figure it out."

"There is?" Misty asked surprised.

"Yeah. You look good and you look at peace."

"Thanks, but I do push thoughts about Lulu away sometimes. All the stuff we did helped take my mind off it. I know she is no longer suffering, and she'll be waiting for me at the end of the Rainbow Bridge when it's my time to go years from now, but sometimes if I'm not careful, missing her will sneak up on me. I'll just have to keep my mind off it for now," Misty explained.

"Misty, you can mourn her if you want…" Seto encouraged as he caressed her back. "I know you're hurting, but it's okay to mourn her," Seto encouraged.

 _"Profound coming from you," his inner self pointed out._

" _Yeah. Shut up," Seto retorted._

" _He's right… you can mourn Lulu… she was your baby girl," Misty's inner self encouraged._

" _I've been mourning her the last few weeks… I'm not sure if I have anything left…" Misty protested._

" _Sure you do…" her inner self countered._

"Come on. It's ok," Seto encouraged. Misty's lip twitched like she was fighting it. "I know you're fighting it. Stop trying to be so strong and stubborn. I know you would be insisting I let it out if this was reversed." A few tears leaked from Misty's chocolate eyes as she started to slowly let herself succumb to her grief. "That's it," Seto encouraged as he held her. Just like a thunderstorm, the tears started out light, and then more and more came. Like the thunder, sobs escaped her throat and she was full-on crying. Seto held her closer and let her sob into his chest.

"She should've lived longer! She shouldn't have had to die at 10 years old because of kidney failure! We did everything we could to ensure she had a healthy life, but then she got kidney failure and was taken from us! Lucky is a few months' shy of being 12 and still has a good while left, and Riley is 13! Lulu only got 10 years! Her sister, my neighbor's dog, is the same age as she was, and she is still healthy and vibrant!" Misty vented in her sobs. Seto rubbed her back and continued to let her vent and sob. She needed this. He had a lot of things he could say, but they didn't seem right. From what he understood, anger was part of the grieving process. Boy, he knew what it was like to be super angry in grief… he was furious with his family after they abandoned him and Mokuba at the orphanage and left them with nothing, and the fact that his parents were dead… and he was angry that the orphanage staff couldn't have given two shits about them or the others, and he hated Gozaburo for making his life hell and turning him into a cold, machine of a man who could do nothing but work… until Misty came along. She sobbed and vented for a good hour, until she was too exhausted for anything else but sleep. He kissed her forehead and fell asleep holding her tight. She slept peacefully tonight with no nightmares plaguing her mind.

* * *

The next day, after a hearty breakfast, they found a bus that would take them along the mission trail so they could visit Mission San Jose, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada, and also the Alamo too. Seto was mildly fascinated seeing the missions and learning a part of San Antonio's obviously rich history. He was surprised when they deviated from Mission San Jose a little to walk into a cemetery.

"Misty, why are we in this cemetery?" Seto asked confused and feeling a little creeped out. He didn't like cemeteries very much. She also seemed relatively calm as she continued walking along at a quick pace. She held his hand as she led him past the various headstones and silk flower urns. "Misty?" Seto asked again, wondering what possessed her. Misty then found the tree she was looking for, and stopped in front of a large, pinkish-granite headstone with an inscription of a deceased woman's name, date of birth and death, a marriage date, and a man's inscription of a date of birth. On the pinkish granite headstone, there was a picture of a beautiful, kind, old woman with soft, curly, brown hair, glasses, and she was wearing a beautiful navy suit dress. On the base of the headstone, there was a vase for silk flowers, and a package of crackers. Seto thought the crackers were odd, and Misty started tearing a little.

"Hi grandma," Misty said to the headstone and squeezed Seto's hand.

"This is your grandma's grave?" Seto asked as he realized what was going on. She brought him here to visit her grandmother's grave with her since they were close by while visiting Mission San Jose. Misty nodded and was tearing a little more. Seto squeezed her hand and she squeezed back a little tighter. Misty started speaking to the grave, telling her grandmother about all that had been going on with her and the fact that she was about to marry Seto. Seto was silent as he watched her conversing to the grave. He thought it was odd, but he wouldn't judge. He figured it was normal behavior to talk to the graves when visiting them, but he wouldn't know. He wondered if he might do the same thing if he visited his parents' graves back home. He had to admit the picture of her grandmother was lovely.

"She's lovely," Seto complimented Misty's grandmother.

"She really was… She had such an open, kind heart… she would've adored you, Mokuba, and Sophia…" Misty replied. "That was EVERYONE'S favorite picture of her, and I was the one that took it. That was at my uncle's wedding, and I was trying to get a picture of her smiling at the camera, but she was distracted by conversation to my left, so I got that picture, and everyone loved it; it made her look queenly," Misty said with a slightly proud smile.

"It sure does. I can tell you had such a close bond with her."

"Yeah, I loved visiting with her. She would've been so excited about our wedding, though she probably is, in Heaven," Misty said with a rueful smile. "I just wish she was there physically."

"I understand," Seto replied gently. The wind had been pretty still and mild all day, but there was suddenly a gusty zephyr that blew in a circle around them and rattled the windchime in the tree nearby, but nowhere else. The zephyr that blew solely around them actually felt warm. It was odd, but it felt like there was an embrace from the warm zephyr.

"Hi grandma," Misty said as the zephyr was around them and she smiled. It was like her grandmother had manifested herself and hugged them. Seto was mystified and puzzled. He couldn't explain what was going on, but it was incredible. It was almost like when he decided to propose to Misty and his mom spoke to him, but there were no words here. They stayed there a little bit, and then resumed their missions journey. As they walked, Seto had to ask "What was with the crackers on the headstone?"

"My grandpa must've visited recently and they hadn't cleaned it. Whenever grandma went out with grandpa on their dates and outings and they went for lunch or dinner, grandma liked to take a bunch of crackers with her," Misty explained. Seto chuckled. "Yeah, it was their little cute thing," Misty agreed with a smile. "What's ours?" she asked him curiously.

"Well, you are like a guardian angel to me, I taught you how to duel, and you are fiery and we were brought closer together by a fire, so maybe a picture of a Wingweaver with a fiery dress instead of the one she wears, riding on the back of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon," Seto suggested. Misty's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, that's actually incredible," Misty gasped. Seto chuckled and smirked, as his sapphire eyes had a glowing pride lit in them.

"I'm glad you like it. Maybe you can paint that and I can save that picture. Oh, right, and our first date was at a painting class, so there, another layer to that special token," Seto suggested. Misty smiled.

"That is really profound and awesome," she complimented him.

"Thanks," Seto replied, as his ego swelled just a little. "Though… if you were to pass away before me, it would be absolutely unbearable, especially to visit your grave," he added suddenly morose.

"Well, about that, when I die, I don't want to be buried in a casket. I would rather be cremated and put in a Bios urn and become a tree. I won't be wasting any land, and rotting away in a double-layer box. If I become a tree, I will still be alive, in a different form, and giving back to the earth with oxygen, shade, and fruit, and I wouldn't need a cemetery; you could plant me anywhere and help me grow. If you wanted to, you could hang a small, laminated picture of that image on my branches too," Misty explained. Seto was quiet as he thought about it.

"I like that," he said after a few minutes. Misty smiled. "Though it'll still be painful if I lose you first…How does your grandpa manage?"

"He just does. It helps to talk about grandma and visit her. I guess I can see what I can do to make a deal with God to see if he'll let us go together," Misty suggested. Seto thought that was sweet, but he wasn't sure if it would really happen.

"I don't know if that would happen…" he protested. He wanted to go with her when the time came, but with his luck, he wouldn't get that…; he'd have to suffer without her.

"Then keep praying and ask," Misty suggested. "Don't doubt God."

"Alright," Seto replied. He hoped he would get his request honored. "God" granted his request for help ten-fold when He brought Misty to him and Mokuba, so Seto figured He would grant his request to go with her too, when the time came.

* * *

They finished exploring the missions, ending at the Alamo, and did a little more exploring downtown, got a lunch at Whataburger, and went back to the hotel to rest for a little while before they had to go help their dad at NIOSA again tonight. A little while later, they drove to the garage near the Buckhorn and Texas Ranger Museum, parked and put on their wristbands. Misty locked her car and they held hands as they walked to the volunteer entrance, showed their papers to the ones checking the volunteer paperwork, and went to the booth, where her dad and some of his other volunteers were there already.

"Hey babe, hey Seto," her dad greeted them and gave Misty a customary kiss. Misty set her purse down in the back with the chairs, and they washed their hands, put on some hats and gloves, and set to work skewering the shrimp, onions, and bell peppers. It was pretty much the same as last night, except this time, they tried some different, delicious foods.

* * *

On Friday, after their hearty breakfast, they drove to New Braunfels and walked around, playing tourist for a couple hours, and then on the way back, Misty set her GPS to find Buc-ee's.

"Time to see the biggest, coolest gas station!" she exclaimed as she drove. Seto chuckled at her enthusiasm, but still wasn't convinced. A little while later, he saw it and his sapphire eyes widened at how big it was. There had to be at least 50 gas pumps, and at least half of them were full. Misty pulled next to a gas pump and pumped gas into the car and cleaned the windows. When she was done pumping gas, she parked the car on the side and locked it so they could come into the store. On the way in, they saw the bronze statue of Buc-ee the beaver. They had a friendly person take their picture with the statue, and once Misty got her phone back, they went into the store. It was the size of a grocery store.

"Wow, this is a big convenience store!" Seto exclaimed. Misty chuckled.

"See? I told you so," Misty replied still chuckling. "Let's look around," she instructed as she held his hand and they slowly meandered through the store.

"They have pretty much everything," Seto remarked as he looked at all the merchandise. Misty picked up some t-shirts and carried them in the basket as they continued to browse. Then they came to the snack side, and Misty immediately got 3 packs of Beaver Nuggets, one for them to snack on, and one each for Mokuba and Sophia, and some other candies, while Seto picked out some of his own snacks. They grabbed a lunch from the deli counter and sat down at one of the tables. The food was so delicious. For dessert, they got some fudge from the bakery counter, and Seto was amazed at how rich it was.

"You were right, Buc-ee's is amazing," Seto told her and Misty chuckled and beamed.

"Yep," Misty agreed. They bought the shirts and snacks, and then went to use the restrooms. Seto was impressed at how clean they were. They got back in the car and Misty had him hold the bag while she was driving back into San Antonio. Since it was still afternoon, she decided to visit her grandfather for a little bit. Her grandpa was happy to see them, and talked as much as he could manage with his artificial trach. Misty also offered some of the beaver nuggets she and Seto has been snacking on, and they hung out with her grandpa for about an hour, and then they headed to Boot Barn to look at good cowboy hats and boots. She wanted to make sure Mokuba had a good hat and a good pair of boots. She got some recommendations from the staff, and found a good black Stetson and a black pair of boots in Mokuba's size that he was sure to be excited about. Seto had been listening to the recommendations and decided to get a white Stetson hat and got a nice pair of brown cowboy boots too. Misty wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"You look good honey," Misty complimented him and kissed him. Seto smiled.

"Thanks. I guess I'm a Texan now," he chuckled.

"Yeah, it's definitely a start," she agreed. Seto paid for the Stetsons and boots, and they were on the way back to the hotel to relax, after picking up some Bill Miller's Barbecue for dinner. They brought the food and their treasures from today up to the hotel, ate, took their bath, and relaxed watching TV while eating their bag of Beaver Nuggets and snacks for a few hours until they dozed off to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Misty drove them to Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and Seto was a bit excited. He wanted to see the other park, and was finally able to. He saw how big the park was, and still had to agree that Kaiba Land was bigger. He was impressed with the different areas of the park, all the rollercoasters, the old train that went around the park, the shows, and the food. He got more ideas to add more rollercoasters and shows to his park, and made a note on his phone. They also went to the antique photo studio where Misty had worked when she worked there. They saw one of her former coworkers, an older lady named Maria, managing the studio, and Misty had a nice catch up moment with her in the empty studio. Misty proudly introduced Seto to her as her fiancé, and Maria was so excited for her. Thankfully, the idea pictures they had taken featuring Misty were still in the photo albums, along with a bunch of other new ones. Misty gushed about her memories working there, and suggested they take an antique photo of the two of them. Seto was a little hesitant, but eventually agreed, and Maria smiled with a wide, buck-toothed grin.

"Which era do you want to do? Western, or Gangster?" Misty asked Seto.

"I guess Western makes sense," Seto agreed. Misty smiled. She loved doing the Western ones the best.

"Okay, do you want me to be the Native American woman, a saloon girl, or a prim and proper lady?" Misty asked as they stood by the rack of costumes.

"Saloon girl," Seto said quickly. Maria chuckled and led Misty to the rack, and Misty picked out the one that seemed closest to her size, which was a cobalt blue, brocade corset and a cobalt, satin skirt. She was also given the black bloomers and she went to the dressing room, and went in and changed. She left her clothes on top of her purse, and put them behind the counter for safekeeping, while Maria helped Seto into the pants and shirt, and tied them shut in the back. Maria put a bandana on him and gave him a duster coat and a hat off the rack. Misty felt sexy in her costume, and gave a playful wolf whistle to Seto in his costume. Seto playfully tipped his hat to Misty, making her chuckle.

"Piano or bar?" Maria asked as she set up the camera and gave them accessories and props, including the prop guns. Misty looked to Seto to decide.

"Bar would be fun," Seto replied.

"Do you want to sit on the barrel or the bar?" Maria asked Misty.

"Bar," Misty said with a smile.

"Of course," Maria answered and gave her a wink. Misty winked back, already getting an idea for the fun picture.

"What's that wink for?" Seto asked as he noticed.

"You'll see honey," Misty replied with a smile.

"Alright, first, we will do a serious picture, then a smiling picture, and the third is anything that's appropriate," Maria instructed. Seto and Misty nodded and got in position. Seto held a moneybag prop and some paper cash and his pistol, and had his serious face, while Misty held a moneybag and a prop rifle with a serious expression. Then they had a smiling picture, but Seto was more focused on Misty with his smile and kissed her hand, and she smiled flirtatiously back at him, with a lace fan in front of her face, instead of the rifle in her hands this time.

"Alright Seto, please step back," Maria instructed. Seto moved out of the way and Maria brought the wooden chair to the bar to help Misty get footing, and Misty shifted her body so her back was against the shelves of the bar and had her feet on the chair. She scooted a bit and held onto the bar with her hands and slowly shifted her body so she was lying on the bar under the shelf. She then slowly slid her butt to where she had been sitting for the other two pictures in the corner of the bar, and lifted her legs so they rested against the corner of the bar, and crossed her ankles. Maria then fixed the skirt, and had Misty tilt her head upwards, and one arm extended behind her head. With the hand that was behind her head, Misty held a silk rose. Maria then moved the wooden chair away. Seto stood beside the bar at Misty's side with one foot up on a stool, and had the pistol, pushing his hat up a little, and gave a serious expression to the camera. Maria took the photo at a 45° angle, and then put the camera down on the tripod. She and Seto then helped Misty off the bar and to the floor.

"You looked hot," Seto complimented Misty. Misty chuckled.

"Wait until you see the picture," she replied and then once she was down, they went to the computer screen on the counter and let Maria pull up the pictures and watched as she edited them, one at a time. Misty smiled when the third picture came up.

"That looks hot," Misty remarked.

"It does," Seto agreed, but then again maybe it was too hot.

"I love that picture!" Maria exclaimed.

" _Me too!" Misty and Seto's inner selves agreed._

"Alright… but only for our bedroom," Seto agreed. "I like the other two, too, but I also had a funny idea I wanted to try."

"Oh? What do you want to try?" Misty asked curiously.

"I saw one where the cowboy was carrying the girl off." Maria and Misty chuckled.

"You said we could do a funny one, that's funny, and it does kinda show a playful and sexy side of our relationship," Seto reasoned.

"Alright," Misty and Maria agreed and they got the bar backdrop set up so it would look like he was carrying her over his shoulder. Maria had her stand on the big stool, and Seto knelt down a little so that she could easily bend over his shoulder. Seto held her in a comfortable position so he could carry her safely. Maria got the camera ready and hid the stool with the money bags and put some bottles and cards on the barrel. She then got behind the camera, and gave Seto the cue to stand up. Misty balanced on his shoulder and pretended to act like she was kicking and screaming in a funny way as he was carrying her in the direction of the dressing room.

"Got it!" Maria exclaimed. Seto gingerly knelt down and let her get her balance and put her feet on the floor.

"Let's check it out," Misty said and went to the screen. Maria pulled up the picture and touched it up and Seto and Misty chuckled at their picture.

"Hilarious!" Misty exclaimed. Seto smiled. It came out great and funny.

"I like it," Seto said and ordered 2 8x10s each of all 4 pictures, with the main one being the one where he was carrying her away. Maria put the order in and Seto paid, and they started printing. Misty got her clothes and things from behind the counter and put the accessories down on the accessory counter before going back in the dressing room to get dressed, while Maria went to help Seto out of his costume.

"Thank you," Seto replied.

"You're welcome," Maria replied with a smile as she put the costume away on the rack. Misty came out a few minutes later in her clothes, and sat in the chair and put her shoes back on. Maria got the receipt and put it in the folder with the pictures, selected the images, and put them on a card with a barcode so they could access them later. She put the folder of the pictures in the bag with the card and hugged Misty.

"It was so good to see you again! This was fun! And congratulations on your engagement!" Maria told her.

"Yeah! Thank you!" Misty replied and they finished the hug. They left the studio and got more souvenirs for Mokuba and Sophia in the DC store near the Boardwalk section. Misty found a cute Harley and Joker couples hat set and decided to get that for them, even though she did not agree they were the most ideal couple. She did have to admit that the artwork on the hats was pretty great.

"See anything you like?" Misty asked Seto as she eyed the superhero stuff. Seto was idly flipping through the shirts on the rack and chuckled as he found a Batman shirt he loved. It had black raglan sleeves on a white base, with an image of Batman running and the words "Screw the Rules, I'm Batman!" in black letters above Batman.

"I love this!" Seto exclaimed and continued to chuckle and he found one in his size. Misty had to admit it was totally perfect for him, and his joy at finding it was adorable. She snapped a quick picture of his reaction.

"Get it honey," Misty encouraged. Seto nodded and put that in the handbasket with the hats. Misty found a Batman and Catwoman shirt and decided to get that.

"Catwoman?" Seto asked curiously. "I figured you'd pick Wonder Woman, since you are a Wonder Woman." Misty chuckled and kissed him.

"Well, Batman did have a romance with Catwoman though, but I can get a Wonder Woman shirt too," Misty agreed and Seto nodded. They paid for those souvenirs and went to the store at the front of the park and looked at Looney Tunes stuff. Misty picked a Bugs Bunny shirt for Mokuba, and a Lola Bunny shirt for Sophia, and they got that and left.

* * *

They then went back to the hotel to get their things, check out, and called a limo chauffeur to pick them up from her mom's house in a little while to take them to the airport. Misty drove to her father's house to say good-bye for now to her dad and brother and promised them they would return near the end of May. Then they went to her mother's house to say good-bye for now. Her mom gave her and Seto a tight hug. They also noticed that her mother had picked up Lulu's ashes, in a light wooden box, along with a clay impression of her pawprint, and they were on display in the center console of the entertainment center, next to a framed picture of Lulu in a photo cube beside the box. Lulu's purple collar was wrapped around the wooden box.

"My Lulu…" Misty said and she picked up Lulu's ash box and hugged it close to her chest for a few minutes. Seto rubbed her shoulders as she cried over the box for a few minutes. When she was done, she put the box back where it had been, and as she did, there was a small gust of air approximately Lulu's size that circled in between Misty's arms.

"Whoa! Lulu?" Misty asked in surprise.

"Huh?" Seto and her mom asked confused.

"I just felt a circle of air about her size in my arms just now," Misty explained. Her mom's eyes widened and tears crept up in the corners of her eyes, and Seto had stared wide-eyed. "I love you Lulu," Misty said, and there was another faint sensation. Misty smiled. Seto gasped when he felt something invisible at his leg, and then her mother felt something against her leg too. "She's watching over us," Misty declared and smiled. Her mom cried a little.

"My girl!" her mom exclaimed. A few minutes later, Seto got a text that the chauffeur was there.

"The chauffeur's here," Seto said. Misty nodded and hugged her mom once more.

"Okay mom, we'll be back near the end of May for the wedding. Love you," Misty promised.

"Okay babe, love you too," her mom replied and kissed her cheek. "Thank you so much for coming. I'm glad y'all were here for her."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Misty replied.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Seto chimed in and hugged her mom.

"Likewise. Thank you for your help," her mom thanked him.

"You're welcome. Well, we better go," Seto replied. Misty then grabbed her things and purse and they went and got the stuff out of the trunk of her car and loaded it into the trunk of the limo. When they finished, her mom remotely locked the car until the horn beeped. They thanked the chauffeur as he held the door for them, and then they were on the way, and made it through the security checks. The flight crew got his plane out of the hangar and started loading their bags except their carry-ons into the cargo compartment. They fueled the plane, and Seto and Misty were allowed up the steps onto the plane. Their pilot greeted them, and they all got situated for the long flight home and started going down the runway and ascending.

"So, honey, what did you think about San Antonio?" Misty asked.

"It was amazing!" Seto remarked. "You know, our first day here, I almost wondered if you'd want to stay here," he admitted. Misty chuckled.

"Nah, you're stuck with me at your side," Misty joked. Seto chuckled and kissed her.

"Good. I think Mokuba and Sophia are going to go crazy with all their souvenirs," Seto predicted.

"I think you're right. But in the meantime, let's just relax and rest," Misty suggested as they looked out the window at her glittering hometown as they ascended. Once they were high enough out of San Antonio airspace, she cuddled up against him and they ended up falling asleep peacefully, looking forward to their return home in Domino City.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed your FEELS trip in Chapter 14. Don't forget to review! Fresh reviews=new chapters!

And **WARNING:** Next chapter will also be emotional and rocky. You will see Misty and Sophia at a low, but Seto and Mokuba will be at their lowest and most vulnerable. Stay with me; I have a plan for it.


	15. Blessings and Curses

**A/N:** Howdy my dear fans! Miss me? Lol.

Merry Early Christmas! Here is my early Christmas gift to y'all!

This chapter kind of steered me in a different direction, but I am excited about the change it brought about.

I'd like to thank my bff Dark_Kokoro for her help as Sophia, and of course, my loyal patron and friend james. collins. 77770 for his review that guaranteed immediate release of this chapter once I finally finished.

Enjoy! As usual, don't forget to leave a review for this chapter after reading. New reviews=New chapter releases that much sooner.

* * *

Monday at 2:30 a.m. in Domino…

Their personal flight attendant woke Seto and Misty, and they sluggishly got their carry-on bags while the flight crew started getting all the stowed baggage out and putting it in the limo. Seto and Misty stepped off the plane in the hangar to their awaiting limo.

"Hey Mr. Kaiba, Hey Misty! Welcome home!" Edward greeted cheerily.

"Hey Edward," Seto and Misty greeted groggily and yawned a little and stretched. Edward knew they probably weren't in a chatty mood right now, so he figured he'd talk to them later about their trip. In the meantime, he made sure they had their bags in the trunk, and helped them in the limo, and drove them home. When they got back to the mansion, a few servants unloaded the trunk and carried Seto and Misty's bags to their room. Edward opened the door and gently woke them again, and helped them out.

"Thanks Edward," Seto and Misty mumbled and held hands as they walked inside the mansion. Shadow had heard them arrive and was sleeping in Mokuba and Sophia's open room (as they had decided to share his room since prom night), and came bounding down the stairs to see what was going on. She picked up a familiar scent and had a familiar sight greeted her; her human mama and daddy were home! Shadow whined and wheezed excitedly and leaned against their legs, and her tail going as fast as a windshield wiper in a serious thunderstorm. Misty smiled a little and knelt down and pet her as she was doing everything in her power to lean into her human mama; she had missed her and her human daddy so much! She wondered if they would ever come home. Misty and Seto chuckled.

"There's my silly girl," Misty said a little groggily, and for a moment, it brought tears to her eyes, because Shadow was acting just like Lulu. It felt a little surreal. Misty hugged Shadow close and a few tears fell into Shadow's coat. Shadow had heavy breathing and licked Misty's face and tears while she was in her arms happily. Shadow then sniffed Misty and Seto's clothes and could smell some traces of Lulu and Lucky on their clothes, despite the clothes having been laundered while they had been at Misty's mother's house.

"You smell Lulu and Lucky, hm?" Misty asked her while Shadow wagged her tail. Seto chuckled a little, but kept an eye on Misty. She had gotten a little emotional a moment ago, and he knew that she was feeling a bit of pain and grief. He rubbed her back gently, and Misty reflexively relaxed under his hand. Shadow finished sniffing and sat in front of them with a big smile on her face and her tail wagging against the ground. Misty kissed her head. "Hers my silly girl…" she said softly. "Were you a good girl for Mokuba, Sophia, and the staff, hm?" Misty asked her, earning another vigorous tail wagging and more licks. "That's my girl. Alright, come on, let's go upstairs to our room," she said as she and Seto started walking up the stairs towards his room with Shadow following them. She made a quick stop in her room for a nightdress since she didn't want to deal with the suitcases right now, and then rejoined Shadow and Seto in his room. Seto shut the door for privacy so they could change into their sleep clothes. They changed and got settled into bed after taking turns to use the restroom. Shadow lay happily on the extra pillows Seto had put on the floor as a temporary, makeshift bed for her. Seto pulled Misty close and then they quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Later that morning…

Mokuba and Sophia were up and ready and had quietly opened the door to Seto's room to let Shadow out, and closed the door once she was out. As excited as they were to have them home, they knew that they were probably exhausted from the jet lag, so they would talk to them later this evening. Shadow wagged her tail happily at them and had her happy smile on her face.

"Hey pretty girl! Good morning!" Mokuba greeted her and pet her before Shadow started herding them downstairs. They let her outside and put food in her bowl while they sat in the breakfast nook.

"Good morning Rosa," Mokuba and Sophia greeted.

"Good morning kiddos," Rosa greeted back and put their breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon, oranges and milk in front of them. "I bet you're so excited now that Seto and Misty are home, huh?"

"Yeah! I can't wait to hear about all their adventures in San Antonio this evening!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too!" Sophia concurred. Rosa smiled and cleaned up, knowing that Seto and Misty weren't likely to come down due to the heavy jet lag they were likely experiencing. Mokuba and Sophia enjoyed their breakfast, and then had gone to school where their mood kinda sank a little with the gloomy atmosphere because of the pervasive grief and the fact the school and the district were in big trouble.

* * *

While they were at school, Seto and Misty had slept until about 2:30 p.m. when their bodies could not take much more sleep for a little while. They sighed in relief.

"It felt nice to be back home, sleeping in our bed," Seto said softly to her as he caressed her face as they woke up.

"Yeah," Misty replied with a lazy smile and kissed him. "I can't wait to show everyone the pictures and hand out their souvenirs." Seto smiled.

"Maybe we can upload the pictures to the computer and make a slideshow," Seto suggested.

"Good idea, but first let's get up and cleaned up and eat something before we do," Misty suggested and went to her room to get something to wear and returned to Seto's room.

"Up for a shower together?" Seto asked with a teasing smirk both on his lips and in his azure eyes.

"Maybe," Misty teased reflecting his smirk.

"Maybe? Let me convince you then," Seto replied and kissed her passionately and then her neck, eliciting a soft moan. "That's what I thought," he gloated a little.

"Fine, you win," Misty conceded, stroking his ego a little. Seto beamed and kissed her and they undressed and had a long shower together, having fun and getting clean. They dried off and dressed, and as they came out into the hallway, Shadow came bounding up the stairs to see them.

"There's my silly girl," Misty replied as she bent down to give Shadow some love while Shadow wagged her tail happily. They went down to the kitchen to get some lunch.

"Hello Mr. Kaiba, Hello Misty!" Rosa greeted cheerfully. "How was San Antonio?" she asked intrigued.

"It was fun, busy, and bittersweet," Misty answered as she and Seto took their seat at the table and Shadow lay on her feet.

"But it was also amazing," Seto chimed in.

"We'll show y'all our pictures after dinner tonight, and we brought some souvenirs back," Misty promised.

"I'm excited," Rosa told her with a smile and started making some lunch for them and served them some grilled cheese with chicken, tomato soup on the side, and some iced tea.

"Thank you, Rosa," Misty and Seto customarily told her and ate their delicious lunch. When they finished, Rosa cleaned up and they got their cameras and souvenirs from their suitcases, and went to Seto's office to set up a slideshow with their pictures. After they uploaded the pictures, Misty logged into her Prezi account and created a fun slideshow with their pictures and captions.

"This is actually a fun presentation," Seto remarked. "I never would've thought of presenting it this way. I'm so used to linear presentations."

"Yeah. I learned about this site from one of my project group mates in college. It's awesome," Misty replied and did a run through of their Prezi and were satisfied with how it came out.

Just as they had finished, Mokuba and Sophia had come back to the mansion and hurried upstairs with Shadow following them. Sophia was so glad she didn't have to work tonight because she didn't want to miss hearing about their San Antonio adventures. They came into the study and smiled seeing Seto and Misty and hugged them.

"We're so glad you're home! We missed you!" Mokuba and Sophia exclaimed happily.

"We missed you too!" Seto and Misty replied as they hugged them. Shadow had joined in and was leaning against their legs panting happily with her tail thwacking their legs.

"How was it?!" Mokuba and Sophia asked them simultaneously and with excitement.

"It was fun, productive, and bittersweet. We had fun playing tourists exploring popular sites and doing some shopping and good eating, I showed him my haunts and hangouts, he met my family, we did some wedding planning and got everything set up for the wedding next month, we went to Fiesta, and Seto was amazingly patient with me, my mom, and my sweet Lulu. We got lots of pictures and souvenirs too," Misty explained and then opened the suitcases she had full of the souvenirs. She handed each of Mokuba and Sophia's souvenirs to them after explaining each one, and they were so excited.

"Thank you Misty and Seto!" they exclaimed with another big hug.

"You're welcome," Seto and Misty replied with a smile. Mokuba immediately put on his Black Stetson and went to try on his boots; they were such a perfect fit! He couldn't believe he had a real cowboy hat and a pair of cowboy boots! He came back into the room to show them.

"Well look at you! Don't you look like a handsome desperado!" Misty teased and Mokuba chuckled.

"It looks good on you babe," Sophia said with a kiss and then decided to go try on the Mexican dress. It was such a bright cobalt blue with lovingly embroidered flowers and ornate designs. When she came back, Mokuba did a playful wolf-whistle, earning a crimson blush from Sophia. Misty then put the Fiesta floral crown on her head.

"Perfect! It looks good on you!" Misty exclaimed.

"Thank you," Sophia replied. Mokuba and Sophia really liked their souvenirs and went to go put them away and returned. He also noticed that there was another hat and boot box in their souvenir suitcases.

"Who's that hat and boots for?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"My you're nosy!" Misty teased playfully. Mokuba chuckled and blushed.

"Well it just so happens that I got a pair of boots and a hat too," Seto told his brother and then showed him.

"That's a nice set," Mokuba remarked with a smile. Of course, his brother would pick the white Stetson; he was the keeper of the Blue Eyes White Dragons.

"Thank you," Seto nodded with a cool smirk, and helped Misty put their personal souvenirs in their room, leaving his Stetson on his dresser for now, and helped Misty get the other souvenirs ready for their most trusted staff members, as well as the Prezi. They brought them downstairs and set them up in Seto's conference room, and then Rosa called them for dinner. Tonight, they had enchiladas. It was a perfect homecoming dinner. After dinner, Misty gathered Rosa, Roland, Edward, Hari into the conference room with her, Seto, Mokuba, Sophia, and Shadow, and gave them their souvenirs. They were so excited about their souvenirs, and settled in to watch the Prezi and listen to Misty and Seto explain the pictures. During the parts that featured Lulu, Misty got a little teary-eyed, but soldiered through, especially when Shadow tried to offer comfort to her human mama. The staff enjoyed the Prezi and went to relax and further examine their souvenirs. While they did that, a couple servants started unpacking their clothes from their suitcases, and Misty and Seto went down to the dueling room to do some more duels, trading wins and losses. While they dueled, Mokuba kind of explained dueling a little more to Sophia. After a little while, Mokuba dueled Seto, and then Misty for a while, until it was time for them to go to bed.

* * *

The next morning at about 5:30 a.m.…

Misty awoke with an intense urge to throw up. Misty scrambled out of Seto's arms and almost tripped over Shadow running to the bathroom and sat on the floor in front of the toilet and started vomiting.

"Honey?" Seto asked sleepily. As he heard her vomiting, he rushed into the bathroom and knelt beside her rubbing her back. Shadow walked into the bathroom and whined as she sat next to her human mama and Seto.

"Shadow, get out," Seto commanded. Shadow whined and went and sat outside the door watching. Misty gasped as she was vomiting, and Seto was worried. "Let me call the doctor," Seto offered and left her side to get his phone off the charger and called his general doctor to make a house call. The doctor promised to be there in a couple hours, and Seto resumed sitting on the floor with Misty rubbing her back as she vomited. When she was done, she flushed the toilet and groaned. Seto helped her up off the floor and gave her a moment of privacy to do her business. When she finished, he came in and helped brace her as she stood up.

"Was it the dinner last night?" Seto asked gingerly.

"I don't think so… she made it right…" Misty answered. She braced herself against the sink and got her toothbrush she had left in his bathroom, put toothpaste on it, and started brushing the vomit taste out of her mouth. After she finished and rinsed her mouth, Seto picked her up and carried her back to the bed with Shadow following. He set her up under the covers and got a bucket for her. Shadow whined a little and Misty pet her head. Shadow sat by the door indicating she needed to go out.

"Thanks honey," Misty replied.

"You're welcome," Seto replied and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be right back," he promised and went to use the restroom, and when he came out, Shadow was at his feet trying to herd him to the door.

"Do you think it could've been from the jet lag?" Seto asked.

"I don't know… maybe…" Misty answered.

"Well, the doctor said he'd be here in about a couple hours," Seto assured her. "Do you want some water or anything?" Seto offered.

"Yeah, and some antacids," Misty requested.

"Alright. Stay here," Seto commanded and went to the kitchen to let Shadow out, feed her, and get a bottled water and some antacids in a napkin. Seto opened the door and Shadow ran out to inspect the yard and do her business. Seto poured her dog food, made sure she had some water, and let her back in when she let out a squeaky bark at the door. He pet her, shut the door, and washed his hands before grabbing the bottled water and antacids in a paper napkin.

"Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," Rosa greeted as she came into the kitchen. "What are you, Misty, and the kiddos hungry for this morning?"

"Just make me and Misty something light. Misty's feeling ill this morning and the doctor will be here in about a couple hours or so to look her over.

"Oh dear, is she ok? I hope it wasn't the dinner," Rosa inquired concerned.

"She doesn't think so… it might be jet lag," Seto reassured her. Rosa was relieved, but still concerned.

"Okay. I hope she feels better soon," Rosa replied and started making some toast; oatmeal with a little bit of ginger, honey, cloves, and brown sugar; and some orange juice. Seto went up to their room and handed her the napkin with the antacids and the bottled water.

"Thanks honey," Misty replied with a heavy sigh as she took the antacids and drank some water.

"You're welcome. Rosa's making some toast and oatmeal with orange juice," Seto informed her. Misty nodded and smiled a little. It sounded really good right now, but she hoped she could keep it down.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Sophia had woken up in Mokuba's arms at 5:30 a.m., and was feeling quite nauseated too. She groaned at the nasty sensation as she got up to use the restroom. She wanted to vomit, but nothing was coming. Mokuba stirred as he felt her get out of his arms, and when she came out of the bathroom groaning, he sat up and rubbed his cloud grey eyes.

"Babe? What's wrong?" Mokuba asked sleepily as he encouraged her to come back to bed. They didn't have to be up yet.

"I don't feel so well… my stomach is upset… I feel like I want to throw up, but nothing's coming… "Sophia described.

"Aww, I'm sorry to hear that babe," Mokuba replied gently. "Want me to get you something to see if it helps?" Mokuba offered.

"Yes please," Sophia replied.

"Okay," Mokuba acquiesced and got out of bed and went to the bathroom to relieve himself, washed his hands, and went to the kitchen to get some water and some antacids. He saw Rosa at the stove making some homemade oatmeal. Shadow came up to him panting happily and wagging her tail and circling his legs.

"Good morning Shadow," Mokuba told her with an affectionate scratching that made Shadow lap her tongue and her back leg scratch the air. Mokuba chuckled and washed his hands.

"Good morning Mokuba. You're up early. Sleep well?" Rosa asked cordially with a smile as he was washing his hands.

"Good morning Rosa. Yeah, but Sophia woke up a few minutes ago, feeling nauseous. She feels like she wants to throw up, but nothing's coming. I came to get her some water and antacids," Mokuba explained as he got the bottled water and some antacids in a paper napkin.

"Let me guess, something light for breakfast for you and her?" Rosa predicted.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"Your brother just came down here a few minutes ago, for some water, antacids, and something light for breakfast for him and Misty too," Rosa explained. "He said the doctor will be here in a couple hours."

"Oh good! At least the doctor's coming. Maybe he can look at Sophia too. I hope Misty and Sophia get better soon," Mokuba replied.

"Yeah, me too," Rosa agreed, but she had a theory about why Misty and Sophia were sick but not Seto nor Mokuba, but she didn't want to say anything because she preferred the doctor to tell them. "I'll have a servant bring breakfast up," she promised.

"Thanks Rosa," Mokuba thanked her with a smile and a hug before he went upstairs to his room where Sophia was curled under the covers in the fetal position groaning. "Here baby," Mokuba said as he handed the bottle of water to her and the napkin with the antacids.

"Thanks babe," Sophia replied as she took them. She sipped the water and sighed.

"You're welcome. Rosa is making some oatmeal and toast and will have a servant bring it up. Plus, she said that Seto had told her that Misty was feeling as nauseous as you are, and the doctor will be here in a couple hours.

"Really?" Sophia asked surprised. She wondered why Misty was so nauseous too.

"Yeah. At least we can get some answers," Mokuba replied.

"Yeah," Sophia agreed and cuddled up to him. Mokuba stroked her back and hair and kissed her head.

* * *

About 20 minutes later, Rosa had sent a servant up to bring Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia their breakfasts. Sophia and Misty had slowly and cautiously eaten their breakfasts so as not to upset their volatile stomachs. Seto and Mokuba ate slowly more for the sake of keeping an eye on Misty and Sophia in the event they threw up again.

About an hour and a half later, Rosa answered the door for the doctor and his assistant, and led them to Seto's room.

"Thank you for coming, Dr. Takari," Seto thanked the doctor and nodded in acknowledgment to the assistant.

"Sure, sure. Let me introduce you to my assistant, Diana. What seems to be the trouble here?" Dr. Takari inquired as the assistant got a tablet and stylus.

"Well, I woke up this morning feeling nausea and I started throwing up. We just came back from the U.S. yesterday, so I'm not sure what's going on," Misty answered and the Diana's hand was quickly inputting her responses in the tablet. Diana then started doing Misty's vitals, recorded them, and asked relevant questions, including the standard "When was your last cycle?" question, as well as about sexual activity. Misty then realized she hadn't had one since early last month, a week before that no-good Mr. Tao had tried to trick Seto into signing that bogus deal with him. Her eyes had widened as she answered Diana, and there was a huge possibility running through her head right now. She couldn't be pregnant… could she?

" _We'd been using protection," Misty thought._

" _But there were a couple times you didn't…" her inner self thought._

" _Oh my Lord…" Misty thought as she remembered the times they had forgotten it._

Seto also noticed that her eyes widened and he was concerned.

" _What if she's pregnant?" Seto thought. "But how? We used protection."_

"… _Except for those couple of times you didn't…" his inner self pointed out._

" _Oh God! You're right!" Seto thought and was trying to mentally prepare himself in the event that she was. It was exciting and scary all at the same time._

The Dr. Takari had been listening and ordered a pregnancy test. Diana dug through the bag and got a urinalysis sample cup, the test, a plastic pipette, and a towelette. Diana then instructed Misty to take the urine sample cup and the supplies into the restroom, cleanse herself with the towelette, and provide a clean-catch midstream urine specimen with enough urine for 20 mL, and use the pipette to put the urine on the test in the specified window on the test, which she indicated by pointing it out on the box. Once the window was completely soaked, she needed to wait at least 3 minutes to be sure of the results, and to go ahead and dispose the rest of the urine in the toilet, and the cup and pipette in the trash can. Misty nodded and took the cup, test, towelette, and pipette into the bathroom. She cleansed herself, got a good 30 mL of a midstream sample, cleaned herself up, and took a deep breath as she opened the test. Her heart was thundering loudly as she used the pipette to transfer some urine into the specified window, soaking it completely. She squeezed the remains in the pipette back into the cup, and disposed of the urine in the toilet and the pipette and cup in the trash. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands. That had to kill at least 30 seconds off the tense 3 minutes. She watched the test intently and counted the seconds as they ticked by slowly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto waited on the bed anxiously. His heart was thundering in his chest with the possibility of her being pregnant with HIS child.

" _Wow! What a thought! She could be pregnant with MY child right now…" Seto thought._

" _But what if she isn't?" his inner self asked._

" _Then we need to figure out why she's so ill, but based on the lesson Dr. Rivera and Dr. Bloom had given us at the clinic, I'm thinking she very well could be. Oh I'm so nervous. I might be a dad! What if I'm not a good enough father? Are we ready?" Seto thought._

" _First of all, you would be an excellent father; YOU raised Mokuba. YOU doted on him from the time he was born and made all those sacrifices for him. You are practically his second father. I don't count Gozaburo as a father, even if he was your step-father. Secondly, you are more than ready. I'm not sure how ready she is, but I suspect she is considering she is plenty old enough and she did say she wanted to have a family of her own," his inner self pointed out. Seto nodded and felt a little more relieved, but he was anxious still._

* * *

Finally! After the 3 minutes that felt like hours passed, Misty looked down at the test. There was no mistake about it… it was positive. She was pregnant.

" _Oh my God! I'm going to be a mom!" Misty thought. Her chocolate eyes were wide as she was letting it sink in. She had a baby growing inside of her…HIS baby. She was a bit excited, but she was anxious. She wasn't sure if she felt ready, but ready or not, she was going to be a mom._

" _Congratulations," her inner self told her. "And you're going to be a great mom! You're so great with children, and they like you. You definitely have a strong maternal side. Just look at how mom-like you are with Mokuba and Sophia, and even Wes," her inner self reassured her. "There was definitely no doubt you would be destined to be a great mom," Misty nodded and smiled at that. She was like a surrogate mom to them. She rubbed her stomach and briefly imagined her doing the same for her own baby._

" _I wonder how thrilled mom and dad are going to be," Misty thought._

" _Well, mom is conflicting because she had been dropping hints about grandchildren, but said she didn't want them yet. Dad, however, might not say that he is quite excited about it, but I think he secretly might be," Misty figured, but she was still a little unsure._ She took a deep breath and grabbed the test. She figured Seto was figuratively on pins and needles right now. She opened the door and saw the expectant looks on Dr. Takari's, Diana's, and Seto's faces. She was more focused on Seto's wide, ice-blue eyes. She saw excitement and nervousness.

"What does it say?" Seto asked her. His heart thundered faster. This was the moment of truth.

"It's positive. I'm pregnant," Misty answered and showed them the test. Dr. Takari and Diana smiled.

"Congratulations," they told her. Seto was speechless. All he could do was wrap his arms around her in an embrace and hold her tight. He knew it! He was going to be a dad! This felt so surreal, like a dream. He hesitated to pinch himself to see if this all was real, considering that any time he was having something good, fate decided to rip his joy to pieces. He pinched his hand behind her back and felt the familiar sting of pinched flesh and blood capillaries to indicate he was awake, and this was indeed real. He was relieved that this wasn't a dream, and dammit, he was going to savor the joy he was feeling as long as possible.

" _Don't jinx it with horrible thoughts!" his inner self scolded him._

" _You're right," Seto agreed_ and smiled and he kissed Misty passionately, pouring his love and joy into the kiss. Misty kissed back with equal passion, and when they parted, they smiled at each other. After a couple moments, Dr. Takari asked Misty to lie on the bed so he could feel her abdomen and determine how far along she was, partly based on what she told him and partly by feel. Seto let go of her, and obediently Misty lay on the bed and Dr. Takari pressed on her abdominal cavity, just below her navel, and felt like she was about 4 weeks along. He got his stethoscope and listened and was surprised to hear not one but TWO heartbeats. Misty and Seto noticed the surprise on his face.

"Is everything ok?" Misty asked nervously. Seto waited anxiously to hear what Dr. Takari had to say.

"Oh yes, it is. In fact, you're going to be a mommy and daddy, times two. I just heard TWO heartbeats," Dr. Takari announced and smiled at them.

"We're having TWINS?!" Misty and Seto exclaimed simultaneously. Their eyes were wide as saucers.

"Yes, you are," Dr. Takari confirmed.

"Oh my God!" Misty exclaimed. Seto was stunned speechless. TWO babies. She was carrying TWO of HIS babies! Dr. Takari and Diana then started to explain some things she needed to do to make sure that she and the babies were properly nourished, like eating healthy, limiting caffeine and sugar, taking prenatal vitamins and calcium supplements, getting exercise, and everything else she needed to know, especially the fact that she was due about New Year's Eve, maybe Christmas Eve even.

"What about my nausea and vomiting? Is there anything that will help with that?" Misty inquired earnestly. She wanted to be able to work in peace without having to worry about feeling nauseated.

"I recommend some ginger and peppermint tea," Dr. Takari answered.

"Thank you, Dr. Takari," Misty replied. Seto was still speechless with joy.

"You're welcome. I'll be checking on you in a couple months or so to make sure the babies are ok," Dr. Takari promised. Misty nodded and they left the room. Seto paid for them visiting her and went back to her and crawled into bed with her and held her tight.

"Wow! We're going to have twins! I never thought I'd see this day!" Seto exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked perplexed.

"Remember how I always wanted a family, including to settle down with a wife and children? Well, up until I got you, I never thought it would happen. True, I was like a secondary father to Mokuba, but I still wanted a wife and children of my own. With all the shitty things happening in my life, and nobody but fangirls wanting me, and me being stressed and buried in work, I never thought it would happen. Now we're having not one, but TWO babies, and we'll be married in a month!" Seto explained and hugged her. "Thank you!" Misty hugged back.

"You're welcome," Misty smiled and cuddled with him. She let him stroke her belly and loved the look of wonder and happiness on his face.

"We should go shopping to get ready for the babies!" Seto exclaimed. Misty smiled.

"Sure honey, that sounds like a great idea," Misty agreed. "But let's just savor this moment for a bit."

"Ok, sure," Seto agreed and continued to hold her close and rubbed her belly awestruck, which Misty enjoyed.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Seto had gone back into his room, Mokuba stopped Dr. Takari and Diana and asked them to examine Sophia in his room. They agreed and followed him into his room and approached Sophia.

"Now what seems to be the trouble?" Dr. Takari asked as Diana got the tablet and stylus out.

"This morning, I woke up feeling nauseated, and then I ran to the bathroom and started feeling like I wanted to throw up, but nothing came. I don't know why I am feeling like this," Sophia replied. Diana recorded her chief complaint on the tablet, took her vitals, and asked the same questions as she had with Misty. Sophia also had a horrifying realization that she hadn't had a cycle in a month either, and she and Misty had been synced. Mokuba realized it too, and his grey eyes widened as he was starting to freak out on the inside. What if she was pregnant? Oh God… how could they tell Seto and Misty, and worse, her parents that she was? They were going to be in so much trouble…

Dr. Takari ordered a pregnancy test, and just hearing him say it made Mokuba and Sophia anxious. Diana took out another pregnancy test, a pipette, a urinalysis cup, and a towelette for Sophia to cleanse herself, and then gave her the instructions. Sophia nodded in understanding and went to the bathroom, cleansed herself, and did a clean-catch, mid-stream specimen in the cup, cleaned herself up, and used the pipette on the test. While she waited, she disposed of the rest of the cup's contents into the toilet, flushed, and threw the pipette and cup away before washing her hands. Each second she waited, her heart was thundering in fear and anxiety.

* * *

Outside, Mokuba was pacing a little trying to figure out what to do if she was pregnant and trying to determine when it could've happened, when an ugly realization hit him… prom night… they had been so affected by the aphrodisiacs and alcohol in the spiked punch that they hadn't used protection that night. Dr. Takari and Diana knew they were severely anxious, but didn't want to make them feel worse; they knew Seto was going to be pissed, and probably Misty too. Mokuba really appreciated that they weren't giving them a guilt trip about it.

* * *

In the bathroom, after an excruciatingly anxious wait, Sophia looked at the test in her shaking hands and her jaw dropped…it was positive.

"No… Oh God… Oh God…" she whispered and covered her mouth and tears started to fall. What was she going to do? Her parents were going to be furious, and her dad was likely to find a way to kill Mokuba, even though he was in prison. And Seto and Misty were going to be so disappointed. She sat on the toilet hyperventilating and crying. Mokuba's heart fell when he heard her crying and hyperventilating from outside the bathroom door. He knocked, and when she didn't answer, he opened the door and hugged her.

"Oh Sophia…" Mokuba said as he hugged her and a few tears fell from his eyes in nervousness and empathy. "I'm sorry."

"It's my fault too…" Sophia told him tearfully as she held him. "I'm scared," Sophia told him.

"I'm here," Mokuba assured her. Sophia nodded and was thankful that he was. Diana knocked on the bathroom door.

"Sophia? Mokuba? Could you come out so we can talk with you about what you need to know?" she asked gently. Sophia and Mokuba took a deep breath and wiped their eyes, disposed of the tissues, and sat on his bed. Mokuba held her close. Dr. Takari asked her to lie down so he can assess how far along she was. Mokuba let her go and she lay back on their bed and Dr. Takari felt her abdomen and listened for a heartbeat. There wasn't anything to be heard at this point, and assessed that the baby was probably around 2 weeks along and due mid-January, and he told her so. Dr. Takari and Diana then gave them instructions, and Dr. Takari gave them the same advice he told Misty, and they answered any questions Mokuba and Sophia had. Mokuba paid the doctor for the visit and sat with Sophia on the bed holding her tight.

"We can't tell anybody…" Sophia said after a moment of silence. "My parents are going to be absolutely furious and will kill you…"

"But isn't your father in jail? How can he?" Mokuba asked slightly confused.

"He has ways, Mokuba," Sophia emphasized and held him tighter. She didn't want to lose her love, and the father of her baby. Mokuba sighed in agreement.

"We HAVE to tell Seto and Misty though," Mokuba told her, but was dreading that conversation too.

"No, please, I don't want to tell them either…" Sophia begged.

"We don't have a choice…" Mokuba protested. "They're going to find out eventually… they're around all the time, and they're bound to notice and be more upset if we don't tell them, and if someone else tells them first. We need people on our side… and we have to be adult and own up to it..." Mokuba reasoned. Sophia sighed as she thought about it. He was right. They sat there thinking about how to broach the subject, but decided to just go to their room and tell them they needed to talk to them. They gulped and felt a sense of déjà vu. They hadn't been this nervous to talk to Misty and Seto, ironically since they went to ask Misty about sex education. Sophia held Mokuba's hand tight as they got up and walked to Seto and Misty's room. Each step was heavier than the last, and Mokuba's hand trembled as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Seto called from the other side of the door. Mokuba opened the door and opened it, and their faces were kind of solemn, but Seto and Misty didn't notice that.

"Hey kiddos! We got some big news to tell y'all!" Misty greeted cheerily.

"Hey…" Mokuba and Sophia greeted nervously. "We have some news too…" Mokuba announced.

"What's your news?" Seto asked as he and Misty picked up their somber tone. Misty invited them to come in and have a seat on the bed. Mokuba and Sophia sat down on the bed.

"What is it?" Seto prodded. Mokuba and Sophia gulped and a few tears appeared in their eyes.

"I'm…I'm… I'm pr-pregnant…" Sophia admitted. Mokuba held her. Misty and Seto were stunned silent.

"Are you serious?" Misty asked shocked. Mokuba and Sophia nodded grimly. Seto was fuming silently and his hands were balled into fists at his side. How could they be so irresponsible?! They saw Seto's rage and they were even more anxious. "…How long?" Misty asked and grabbed one of his hands and squeezed it to try to help calm him down. She sensed his anger, and she wanted to help keep him from blowing up at them. Seto squeezed her hand back, relieved for the insulation and grounding she offered. She was disappointed too, especially after she made the effort to make sure they were well educated about sex and protection, but she had to stay calm. They were already frightened, and she didn't want to scare them off, especially since it took immense courage to come tell them.

"Two weeks," Sophia answered. Misty counted back the weeks in her head. "Prom night?" she asked, estimating when it may have happened. Mokuba and Sophia nodded glumly.

"I see…" Misty replied. "I imagine y'all are scared,"

"Yes, we are," Sophia and Mokuba confirmed.

"…What are you wanting to do? What are you going to do about college?" Misty asked calmly. Seto wanted to know that too. He was kinda glad that Misty was the one asking the questions, calmly. If it was him asking the questions, he probably be very vocal and harsh. He didn't want to make the situation worse.

"Well, I don't want to give the baby away… this is our baby, and we will love and cherish him or her," Sophia declared.

"That's right. We will take great care of him or her," Mokuba agreed.

"As far as college, we'll just have to make it work," Sophia added.

"Yeah," Mokuba agreed. Misty sighed.

"I guess we'll spend the summer figuring this out," Misty suggested. Sophia and Mokuba nodded solemnly. Misty let go of Seto's hand and extended her arms to hug them. Mokuba and Sophia came closer and hugged her. They were grateful that she was calm and understanding, but they could still sense disappointment from both Seto and Misty, and it stung. At least they had that sense of relief that she was definitely on their side. After a moment, Mokuba and Sophia pulled back, recalling that she had some news to tell them that she was obviously excited about. They felt guilty that they sucked out the joy of her announcement.

"What's your news, Misty? We're so sorry we sucked out the joy of your announcement," Mokuba inquired.

"Yeah, we are," Sophia agreed. Misty smiled as she remembered her news.

"Well, Mokuba, you're going to be an uncle, and if you marry Sophia, she'll be an auntie. I'm having twins!" Misty exclaimed.

"Wow! Really?" Mokuba asked excitedly. Wow! He was going to be a dad and an uncle, and so was Seto, and both Sophia and Misty were going to be moms and aunts.

"That's great, Misty! Congratulations!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Thank you. Seto was just saying before y'all came in that we are going shopping for the babies later. Y'all can join us," Misty invited and Seto looked irritated that she mentioned his name, and felt like now he had to say something.

"Yeah," Seto confirmed. It was the only word he could manage to say at the moment that was calm. Mokuba and Sophia nodded, knowing they shouldn't say anything else.

"We'll go in a little while. In the meantime, go relax for a little while and we'll go," Misty instructed.

"Ok," Sophia and Mokuba agreed and left the room and went to Mokuba's room and sighed as they sat on the bed.

"That went better than I expected," Mokuba said.

"Yeah, I was kind of expecting them to really let us know how disappointed they were in us. I expected a lot of yelling at us," Sophia agreed.

"Me too. I knew Seto was steamed, but I'm glad Misty took the reins and kept him calm," Mokuba replied.

"Me too," Sophia concurred and laid her head on his shoulder, and he held her close.

* * *

Back in Seto's room…

"Oh my God…" Misty said aloud. Seto pulled her closer to him.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. He was still reeling from finding out about Mokuba and Sophia's baby.

"We have no choice but to roll with it," Misty replied. They could do this; they could take care of three babies. It was going to be a lot of work, but they were by damn going to manage this. Seto nodded and Misty noticed he was still a bit angry; it was radiating off of him.

"You're angry?" she pointed out.

"Yes, a little bit," Seto admitted.

"Talk to me," Misty encouraged. "Why are you angry?"

"They knew better! We made sure they were educated and they knew what to expect. They're so young to be having babies right now," Seto explained.

"I know, but honey, you've got to remember, they drank punch spiked with aphrodisiacs and alcohol. True, they could have exercised restraint and used protection, but alcohol and aphrodisiacs cloud good judgment. Besides, you also knew better too," she pointed out.

"We're different. We're adults, in our 20s, who can expect children whenever we want. They are still in high school with their whole life ahead of them," Seto countered.

"True, but they're ADULTS. They are both 18. They won't be in high school that much longer, and they will be in college, making their own decisions about their lives. This was an unexpected surprise for them, and us too. It will be a challenge, but I think they will handle it gracefully. Plus, I've seen adult parents in college, about our age and even older, and if they can make it work, so can Sophia and Mokuba. Besides, they demonstrated great responsibility just now; they were absolutely distraught and terrified, but they summoned and scraped together every ounce of courage to tell us because they need support from the ones they trust the most," Misty countered sagely. Seto sighed heavily.

"You're right…" Seto admitted. Misty grinned.

"I never get tired of hearing that," she joked, earning a hmph from him, and a slight chuckle.

"I'm sure you don't," Seto jibed back, earning a bit of a chuckle from Misty. The jibey jokes were kind of cathartic.

"How do you think your parents will react?" Seto asked, changing the subject.

"Well, they said they weren't quite ready to be grandparents, but I think they'll be excited," Misty answered.

"Do you want to get on Skype or your messenger app and tell them?" Seto asked.

"Not right now. I want to savor the moment for now that only we know, and I kinda want to figure out a creative announcement first," Misty answered. Seto nodded.

"Alright, that's fair enough," he agreed.

* * *

They then got showered and dressed, and Mokuba and Sophia had too, and then they went to go shopping for baby things. They didn't really have plans to buy right now, but wanted to get ideas for later. Misty did get an idea to paint the walls in the nursery they would create for the babies- a heavenly sunset sky with a Blue Eyes White Dragon soaring peacefully through the painted clouds, and soft, sunset orange bedding to complement the glow of an orange sun. She also had the idea of putting Blue Eyes White Dragon mobiles on the cribs, and a soft glow in the dark moon on one wall. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia were stunned and mesmerized by this idea and were excited about painting it that way, after the wedding.

" _Leave it to your bride to be to have such an amazing idea to paint the nursery," Seto's inner self said proudly._

" _Indeed," Seto agreed proudly._ It was going to be such an amazing looking nursery.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Mr. Yakamori was trying to plan another way to take down the Kaibas and Misty. He was really irritated that his nephew had failed, and that Misty had interfered. He was working out in the prison yard with Tao, each repetition punctuated by breathy, angry growls as they conspired. Ever since that bitch Misty put him and Tao here, they used their anger and hatred towards her and the Kaibas to fuel their workouts every day, and it gained them a LOT of muscle.

"Yakamori! You have a visitor!" A prison guard yelled out to him. Mr. Yakamori put the weight he'd been lifting down on the weight rack and let the guard lead him to the visitor's room, and he sat behind the thick glass partition that separated his side from the visitor's side. He smiled when he saw his youthful looking wife with a basket of things, and picked up the headset at his side, as did his sweet wife.

"Hi honey," Mrs. Yakamori greeted.

"Hi sweetheart," Mr. Yakamori greeted.

"How have you been?" Mrs. Yakamori asked.

"Same as always sweetheart. Nothing really changes much. I'm just trying to think of another way to take down the Kaibas and Misty, as usual. What have you got there?" He inquired. Mrs. Yakamori smiled.

"Oh, you know, just the usual care package stuff. Your soap, hair products, protein powder, cologne, razors, shaving cream, your favorite snacks," Mrs. Yakamori answered as she showed him the things in the basket. Mr. Yakamori smiled.

"You're an angel, sweetheart. Have you heard anything from Sophia?" Mrs. Yakamori's face fell.

"No, she doesn't call really. She just sends the occasional text to let me know she's ok, but I haven't heard anything else. I haven't seen her in a while either. I'm glad that she was ok after that horrible prom night," she replied.

"Yeah, that was awful. And I bet she's been 'too busy' hanging out with that Kaiba punk, and that bitch Misty's probably been discouraging her from coming," Mr. Yakamori theorized.

"I don't know honey," Mrs. Yakamori replied with a shrug and a sigh. Mr. Yakamori sighed heavily too.

"So, would anybody else be willing to help me take them down?" Mr. Yakamori asked, changing the subject as he rubbed his stubbly, blond goatee.

"Well, I'm not sure, but I think Nero might," Mrs. Yakamori suggested. Mr. Yakamori felt so stupid. He couldn't believe he forgot about asking his nephew Nero. Nero was usually willing to do a take-down job without hesitation, and he was pretty damn good about it too.

"I can't believe I forgot to ask him! Would you be able to tell him to come visit me so we can plan?" Mr. Yakamori requested.

"Sure honey, I'll tell him to come visit you," Mrs. Yakamori promised.

"Thanks sweetheart," Mr. Yakamori replied and blew her a kiss through the glass. "I really miss you."

"I miss you too honey," Mrs. Yakamori replied. They put their hands up against the glass in a tender moment.

"Alright Yakamori, time's up!" The guard gruffly commanded as he tapped his shoulder. Another guard collected the gift basket from Mrs. Yakamori, and brought it to him.

"Bye sweetheart. I love you," Mr. Yakamori said into the receiver.

"Bye honey. I love you too. I'll get Nero over as soon as possible," Mrs. Yakamori promised as they hung up the receivers. Mr. Yakamori smiled at his wife and was escorted to his cell to put his things away, and to the common area.

"So, how's auntie?" Tao asked as Mr. Yakamori sat with him.

"She's fine. She sent me a gift basket with stuff I need, and she gave me an idea on someone who can help us," Mr. Yakamori replied with a smirk.

"Really? Whom?" Tao inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Nero," Mr. Yakamori answered, his smirk widening into an evil grin.

"Oh, that's right!" Tao exclaimed as he remembered him too.

"I know, I can't believe I forgot about him too. He will come visit soon. In the meantime, let's plan, and when he comes we can suggest it to him," Mr. Yakamori suggested. They knew Nero was good with computers, so maybe he could create a virus and find a way into Mr. Kaiba's office and upload it to his computer to wreck everything. As for that bitch Misty, if she interfered, he should do whatever it took to stop her.

"I like it, uncle," Tao said gleefully.

"Me too," Mr. Yakamori agreed and they laughed heartily as they imagined Mr. Kaiba's empire crumbling down around him, his brother, and Misty. Sure, Sophia would be angry with them, but he didn't really care. It would be a fitting punishment for her associating with them.

* * *

A few days later…

Nero had come to the prison, at the urging of his aunt, Mrs. Yakamori, to speak with his uncle and cousin. He had spiky black hair, frosty green eyes, a light stubbling across his strong jaw, and he was tall and lean. He wore black jeans, boots, and a cobalt blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, with a black buttoned vest, and he had a tattoo that gave the illusion of torn skin revealing a bionic radius and ulna and related circuitry in his forearm. He followed the guard to the visitor's room and waited. He was curious about what they wanted him to do.

"Yakamori, Tao, you have a visitor," The guard gruffly announced to Mr. Yakamori and Tao, and led them to the visitors' room. They both sat across Nero and Mr. Yakamori picked up the receiver, as did Nero.

"Hey uncle, hey Tao," Nero greeted.

"Hey," Mr. Yakamori and Tao greeted.

"So, Auntie tells me you needed me for revenge on the Kaiba family and some lady named Misty?" Nero began. "What's going on?" Mr. Yakamori then explained that Misty disrespected him when he was asking Sophia why she was at a clinic that specialized in sexual health, and told him about some patient privacy crap, and the fact that the Kaibas were associated with her, Mokuba was with Sophia, and the fact that he wanted to bring them down for power reasons. Tao explained that he tried to get Mr. Kaiba to sign a fake partnership that would've been like a Trojan horse, but Misty intervened and showed Mr. Kaiba the proof that he was a fake, and he got his ass kicked and arrested. Nero listened patiently and carefully.

"Misty is right about patient privacy laws uncle, but sure, ok, I can do something. What do you have in mind?" Nero asked.

"Well, we were wondering if you could create a virus, somehow get into his office, and upload the virus into a folder that would be hard to find. And if Misty interferes, stop her by ANY means necessary," Mr. Yakamori explained.

"Ok, I can do that, and when you mean 'by ANY means necessary,' are you talking about killing her or just knocking her out, or keeping her from reaching him, or what?" Nero asked. Mr. Yakamori gave him an annoyed look.

"It means use your imagination! And yes, hurt or kill her if you have to," Mr. Yakamori clarified. "Just make sure you get the virus uploaded before she gets wise to something being up. It's best if she's out on an errand or something, and he's distracted by something, and Mokuba is at school. That's your window," Mr. Yakamori instructed.

"Ok uncle. Alright, I'll cook something up," Nero agreed.

"Thank you," Mr. Yakamori and Tao replied and said their farewells for now. Nero went back to his computer lab and got right to work creating a tough computer virus that would wreck Mr. Kaiba's databases, networks, important documents, and his wealth.

* * *

Three weeks later…

After numerous tests, the virus was ready, and Nero was excited. He smirked as the vision in his head of the Kaiba Corporation and its subsidiaries were crumbling. Now he had to figure out how he was going to get inside to Mr. Kaiba's office and upload it without being noticed. He then logged into his security camera footage to the cameras he had secretly placed near Kaiba Corp to see when they were coming and going, while wearing something inconspicuous so he would blend into the background easily.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Misty and Seto were getting things wrapped up in the office before leaving for San Antonio in a few days, after Mokuba and Sophia's graduation. It had been a crazy 3 weeks. Seto was working on new security measures after hearing some alarming technological reports about new viruses. Coincidentally, there had been a rash of thefts reported in another subordinate department, and he was trying to figure out what was going on. It was particularly vexing considering that he, Misty, and Mokuba had a lot to do before leaving already, and now he had to deal with those issues too. Plus, about a week ago, they had to go to court to testify about the school's negligence in a class action suit. Naturally, with his team of lawyers representing Mokuba, Sophia, and the other students and their families, and the mountain of evidence against the school, they won. As a result, once the students finished the school year and graduation happened, the school would be shut down and investigated over the summer. Additionally, new, stricter policies and staff would be put into place to curb bullying and hold the students and their parents responsible. The court case being won was a relief at least, but he didn't have time to enjoy it. He was extremely grouchy at work, like he used to be.

"Honey, you don't need to stress yourself out too much. Yes, we have a lot to do, but I'm here to help you, remember?" Misty coaxed gently and hugged him. Seto sighed heavily and hugged back.

"I know, and I appreciate it," he said softly and gave her a kiss. He then got a text from the post office that his package, another part, had arrived and was waiting to be picked up.

"Sweetheart, could you please do me a favor and go pick this up for me?" Seto requested. Misty got an overwhelming sense of Déjà vu.

"You should really have them delivered here, or at home," Misty suggested.

"I just feel better about getting it from the post office," Seto answered and wrote a note authorizing her to pick it up.

"Okay," Misty acquiesced and took the note and put it in her purse. "While I'm gone, don't make any deals with the devil," Misty advised, half-teasingly.

"I won't," Seto promised.

"Good. Also, don't trust anyone who comes right after I leave, especially if they seem suspicious," Misty added. She really didn't want a repeat of last time.

"Okay! I get it! I'll be careful this time!" Seto exclaimed exasperated. He didn't like being reminded of his near, costly mistake, but he appreciated the fact that was trying to help protect him again. He learned his lesson from last time. Plus, he really didn't have time to meet with anyone today anyway. He had to conduct a security meeting and announce that there was going to be upgraded security surveillance, and whoever was stealing would be caught and fully prosecuted.

"Good," Misty nodded satisfied and left after giving him a quick kiss. Edward took her to the post office, and of course, there was a long line. Misty sighed and took her place in line and waited.

Seto decided before his meeting that he would install his antivirus and security updates onto his computer, and he knew it was going to take a while, so he decided to let his computer be while it installed the updates and restarted. He shut the door to his office, and called Roland to bring his security team and Mary to his conference room. He wanted them first and foremost to be aware of the security changes and updates and to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious.

* * *

Nero saw her leave the building and get into the limo and then came casually out of his hiding place, a café nearby, in which he was just another guy working on his laptop. He put away his laptop into his bag and put the flash drive with the virus on it into his pocket before putting his bag into the trunk of his car. He locked his car and casually walked into Kaiba Corp. and saw that Mary was not at her check-in desk. Nero smirked to himself that it was so easy to walk in right now. She could be back at any moment, so he had to hurry and get to the top floor. He saw a bunch of people get on the elevator and got on with them. He saw that the floor below the top floor was lit, so he would get off there. He heard them talking about the security meeting coming up, and Nero actually thought it was kind of ironic that they're having a meeting about security, while he was there to infiltrate and wreck things, and nobody was the wiser. He also noticed that the security guards were also absent, so Mr. Kaiba was probably having the security conversation with them first. He wasn't too sure how much time he had, but at least Mr. Kaiba and his security were occupied. He couldn't believe how easy this was, but he would celebrate later. He was calm on the outside, but slightly impatient on the inside as the elevator went up to different floors and let people off, until they finally got to the floor on which he got off, with a few others. He slipped to the emergency stairwell and went to the top floor, and crept to Mr. Kaiba's office. Of course, it was locked. He was a little anxious as he started to work on the lock to get it to open.

* * *

Misty was surprised that the line was moving at a good pace today. She silently thanked God that it was moving this quickly, and she'd be able to get the package and get back to the office to help Seto. She had a really freaky feeling that she needed to get back as soon as possible because something was about to happen. Her inner self was pacing like a caged animal, and it made her uneasy. About 5 minutes later, she got to the front of the line and showed the note to the package pickup associate. She signed the proper paperwork to pick it up and showed her I.D., put it in her wallet and back into her purse, and waited as the associate went to get the package.

" _Please hurry!" Misty's inner self exclaimed._

" _Easy, easy," Misty said to try and calm her down._

" _Something's happening, and any moment, it could get worse!" she exclaimed anxiously._

" _I know, but we'll be back at the office in a few minutes, just hang on," Misty coaxed. Her inner self nodded slightly placated, but she was still anxious._

The package associate then brought the package to her, and she briskly walked out to the limo and got in after quickly thanking Edward.

"Edward, please hurry back to the office, I think something's happening," Misty requested.

"Ok, what's going on?" Edward asked curiously as he started the limo and started driving.

"Something bad…" Misty answered cryptically. Edward was a little anxious, but drove as quickly and safely as the law and traffic would allow. It didn't take too long for the limo to get to Kaiba Corp. Misty quickly thanked Edward, grabbed the package, then bolted inside and was hurrying as fast as she could to Seto's office. People were stunned to see her moving so fast with the package and wondered what the rush was. It seemed urgent, so they moved out of her way.

* * *

Nero had managed to open the lock and went to the computer and saw that it was still installing the updates. Nero hacked into the system, canceled the updates and got out his flash drive, inserted it into the drive, and pulled up the drive reader. He opened the file explorer, hacked into the password protected files, and found a random, but seemingly important file that linked to everything: the financial information and his wealth, the networks, the technology data, and information about the theme parks. Nero smirked and copied the virus file into a new folder he created he aptly named "Revenge," and opened the virus folder. Immediately, the virus took effect and started corrupting the files. He smirked proudly as the virus was doing its malicious work, and overpowered the antivirus software. He grabbed the flash drive and put it in his pocket and looked up and saw a panting, she-demon, with a box… Misty. There was a molten rage in her eyes.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! WHAT WAS ON THAT FLASH DRIVE?!" she snarled and roared. There was a guttural, almost demonic sound in her roar.

"So, you must be the demon bitch Misty my uncle and cousin spoke of," Nero taunted with a smirk in his frosty green eyes.

"YOU BETTER FUCKING BELIEVE IT!" Misty thundered and pulled an alarm and set the box down.

* * *

Seto was slightly startled when the alarm was pulled, as was the security staff and Roland. They looked and saw the alarm was sourced in his office. Seto's cobalt eyes widened and turned to ice, and he and Roland heard Misty roaring and screaming at someone. They quickly got up and started running, and security followed.

* * *

Misty then charged Nero like a lioness, and started punching him in the side, going for the adrenal glands, and started choking him with a grip like a steel trap, digging her thumbs into the hollow at the base of his neck. Nero was turning purple and then headbutted her and broke her nose, forcing her to let go, then he started punching her in the face, leaving it battered and bruised. He knocked her out, and she hit the ground with a thud and hit her head against the floor. Blood was seeping out on the carpet. Nero was trying to catch his breath and straighten himself. He was about to head to the door to walk out unsteadily, when he saw Seto Kaiba himself come to the doorframe, blocking his escape.

A horrifying sight greeted Seto's ice-cold, cobalt eyes… his pregnant fiancée lying battered, beaten, unconscious, and bleeding on the carpet. His heart and gut sank in horror, anger, and dread mixed all at once.

"MISTY!" Seto screamed. He then looked to the tall, lean, wheezing man with soft black spikes in his hair, stubble on his chin, frosty, hate-filled eyes, wearing business casual clothes standing at his desk, trying to get his bearings.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?!" Seto snarled and roared.

"Nero…Yakamori… of the Yakamori gang… and…I exacted… my…family's revenge…against you… and that demon…bitch..." Nero taunted, while panting. Seto was suddenly blind with hate and rage, to the point where Nero was the only thing he could see, and his intentions were clear… he was going to have to beat Nero within an inch of his life, or worse.

* * *

 **A/N:** Stay tuned for the next chapter! Things are about to get...interesting. Don't forget to review! New reviews= new chapters being released that much sooner!


	16. Broken

**A/N:** Hello my dear fans! Yes I know it's been too long! I'm so glad I was able to finish this in time for my birthday! Yay! *throws confetti* So, this is kinda my birthday gift to y'all. Thanks to my loyal patron james. collins. 77770 and NameWithNoMeaning for their reviews that guaranteed the immediate release of this chapter once finished.

This chapter is chock-full of drama, and it was an exciting chapter to work on.

Special thanks to Dark-Kokoro for her assistance as Sophia.

Enjoy! And don't forget to review! New reviews guarantee release of new chapters once finished!

* * *

Seto was so livid, he quickly crossed his office to his desk within mere milliseconds before Nero had a chance to move (not like he really could have anyway), and just let loose a hurricane of punches and kicks anywhere he could get to on Nero's body.

"YOU BETTER FUCKING HOPE SHE AND THE BABIES ARE OKAY!" Seto snarled at him as he continued to beat and pummel him. He was completely shut down and blinded by pure, unadulterated, murderous rage. There was no room for reason or logic. If nobody stopped him, this guy was going to die. Blood was starting to ooze, and Nero's bones were cracking into compound (where the bones, tendons and muscles stick out through the skin), and comminuted fractures (where bone chips into smaller, sharp pieces).

A few seconds later, Roland had shown up with security, and they were shocked seeing him pummeling this strange man quite brutally, and then they saw Misty lying bleeding, battered, and unconscious. Roland immediately whipped out his cell phone and called for ambulances and police, and demanded they get there ASAP after he explained what was going on. The dispatcher promised to send them immediately and got the address and hung up. Meanwhile, about 4 security guards had to yank Seto off Nero and get him to snap out of his murderous trance. Seto was panting heavily as he snapped out of his trance and then went to Misty and held her close to him. Luckily, she had a pulse and was breathing but he was scared; he could lose them, and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

"Please be okay!" Seto begged frantically as he held her and rubbed her stomach gently.

"Um, Mr. Kaiba?" Roland called to him nervously as he glanced at the computer and saw that it was corrupted.

"What?!" Seto snapped a little. He was still charged up and upset.

"I think that man you were beating corrupted your system…" Roland explained nervously.

"WHAT?!" Seto exclaimed in horror and shock. He gingerly laid Misty back down on the floor and hurried to his computer and gasped in horror. All his hard work was being corrupted! Not only that, but he had nothing left in his accounts! His stock prices were plunging in a free-fall, he was getting livid emails about his products not working properly and things going seriously wrong at KaibaLand to the point that the emergency services were there too, as well as the news. He had NOTHING now, except his family, and he was terrified of possibly losing three family members in that office right now.

"No… THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Seto exclaimed and tried to slap and pinch himself awake from this nightmare, but alas, it was real…

Just then, the paramedics and the police arrived and saw the scene and were horrified.

"Oh thank God! Please help my fiancée! She's pregnant and I'm scared of losing her and the babies!" Seto begged the paramedics. The paramedics nodded and got Misty strapped to the gurney and rushed her into an elevator, and the paramedics from the other ambulance carefully got Nero onto their gurney and rushed to another elevator.

When the paramedics took Misty, Seto was about to run alongside the gurney and ride with her, but the police grabbed him by the collar.

"Where do you think you're going?" the officer demanded.

"I have to ride with my fiancée to the hospital! Let go!" Seto demanded frantically, but then the officer cuffed him.

"What are you doing?!" Seto demanded.

"Seto Kaiba, you are under arrest!" the officer exclaimed and read him his rights.

"On what charges?!" Seto demanded shocked and infuriated.

"Two counts of aggravated assault," the officer explained.

"HE'S THE ONE YOU WANT TO TAKE INTO CUSTODY! HE HACKED INTO MY SYSTEM AND CORRUPTED MY WORK AND WAS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE MALFUNCTIONS, PLUS HE ROBBED ME, AND THEN HE BEAT HER! I WAS DEALING WITH A TRESPASSER, AGGRAVATED ASSAULTER, AND CYBERCRIMINAL ON MY PROPERTY!" Seto argued as he resisted, but the police weren't listening. "ROLAND! GET MOKUBA AND GET THE SECURITY TAPE TO CLEAR MY NAME!" Seto commanded to Roland as he was being dragged away. Once he got downstairs to the police cruiser, he had seen them load Misty into one of the waiting ambulances and he wanted so badly to be riding with her. Not being in the ambulance with her made him terribly anxious.

" _Please be okay," he prayed softly as he saw the ambulance speeding away with its sirens blaring and flashing._ The police officers then put him roughly into the backseat of the police cruiser, shut the door, and got in the front passenger and driver's seat. His employees were watching with shock and horror as they gathered by the door. The police cruiser then pulled away from Kaiba Corp and headed to the main station downtown to book him and throw him into a holding cell in the meantime. He couldn't believe he was being treated like a common criminal for flying into a blind rage seeing his beloved, pregnant fiancée harmed by a trespasser and cybercriminal that was on his property. He also couldn't believe they refused to believe him and accused him of beating her. He was taken to the holding cell and was nervous. Fortunately for him, the other people in the holding cell recognized him and left him alone. He was so grateful for the power of the Kaiba name at least. He was fidgeting a little as he was wondering what the doctors were doing with Misty and what the prognosis was while he waited for Roland and Mokuba.

* * *

Roland went down to the security room, and was grateful that Seto had the forethought to keep it on a separate network in case anything happened to his own network. He rewound the tape in Seto's office to the moment where Misty hugged him and told him that she was there to help him, and to when he requested her to go to the post office. He watched as Seto was installing the updates on his computer and called the meeting with him, Mary, and the security team, then leave with the door locked. About 5 minutes after Seto had left his office, the door swung open and he saw the man Seto had beaten to a nasty pulp creep in, take out the flash drive, and fiddled with Seto's computer, uploading whatever was on that flash drive into one of the main files. Then he saw Misty come in with the package, heard her yelling at him, put the box down, pull the alarm and square up against him. He watched her punch the man in the side and start choking him. The man then headbutted her, broke her nose, and started beating her until she was knocked out and bleeding on the carpet. Roland gasped in horror as he watched her fall. Then he saw Seto come in, see the scene before him, yell at the man, who identified himself as Nero Yakamori, and turn crazed as he started brutally pummeling the man for a few seconds until he and security came in. He requested that the security officers save the part he watched, and any footage of Nero Yakamori before that, from the time he entered the building forward, onto a blank flash drive, and they did. Once he had the flash drive and pocketed it, he was about to go get Mokuba from school, when Mokuba walked in through the doors and noticed the somber atmosphere as the employees were tearfully packing their things. He saw Roland and immediately went up to him.

"What happened? Why is everyone packing their things like they'd been fired?"

"Mokuba, something serious happened! A man named Nero Yakamori came in, hacked the system, and uploaded a virus to the system and corrupted everything, including the finances! Not only that, but when Misty fought him, he beat her until she was bloody and unconscious on the floor. Then Seto beat that Nero Yakamori and got arrested on accusations he beat her and the man! Misty was taken to the hospital! I had to get evidence of what happened and bring it and you to the police station to clear his name!" Roland explained.

"What?!" Mokuba exclaimed, his grey eyes going wide with horror and shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He requested to see the tape, and Roland showed him. Mokuba gasped and covered his mouth, especially as he heard Nero Yakamori identify himself, and his last name kept ringing and echoing in his head. Yakamori. Yakamori.

"Oh my God! He is related to SOPHIA…" Mokuba realized in horror. His heart and stomach sank. Her family did this to his family… he and Seto were ruined, and Misty was seriously hurt! What if they lost her and her babies? He couldn't believe she was associated with this monster!

"Oh dear… well, you can talk to her after we hurry to the police station to show the officers what happened," Roland instructed and took Mokuba to his car. They hurried to the police station within legal limits and once he parked, Roland asked who he and Mokuba needed to talk to about Seto and they were led to the officer who had arrested him.

"I want the chief here too," Mokuba demanded. The officer quirked a brow and called the chief to them.

"What is it?" the chief of police asked as he came to the desk.

"Good afternoon chief, we have evidence that you have wrongfully arrested my brother, Seto Kaiba, and you want Nero Yakamori in custody," Mokuba greeted in his most professional tone he could manage. He was still upset, but had to stay calm.

"Oh really? And what evidence is that?" the chief and officer asked.

"We have video evidence of him trespassing onto Mr. Kaiba's property almost immediately after Ms. Misty Robinson left the building on an errand to the post office, and him breaking and entering into Mr. Kaiba's office and uploading a malicious file that corrupted everything in his system, on the network, KaibaLand, and his financial accounts. When Misty caught him, she alerted us and went to forcibly stop him and he was the one who beat her, NOT Mr. Kaiba. Naturally, Mr. Kaiba was upset when saw what happened because Misty is his pregnant fiancée, so he flew in a blind rage on Nero Yakamori for harming her and possibly the babies, and for trespassing. Now, he has a right to use force on anyone who harms him or his family and property. He was acting within the law," Roland explained. The chief and officer pursed their lips; Mr. Kaiba had been saying the same thing.

"I can vouch for that. I saw the video evidence too," Mokuba piped up. The chief and officer then pulled up the video files on the flash drive Roland had brought for them and watched it. Sure enough, the video corroborated with what they had said.

"Let's save a copy of the evidence for your records," Roland suggested.

"Alright," the chief and officer agreed and copied the files to their file for Mr. Kaiba, and for Nero Yakamori." They then noticed that he was part of the Yakamori crime family, who already had a mountain of evidence against them already. They added the copy of the video to the evidence against them. They gave the flash drive back to Roland and the chief agreed to release Seto. The officer then went to the cell.

"Kaiba, you're being released," the officer announced. Seto sighed in relief and went to the bars of the cell, and he was let out. The guard locked the cell back up and escorted him to his desk where Roland and Mokuba were waiting.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed and hugged him.

"Hey Mokuba, Hey Roland, thank you for your help," Seto thanked them relieved.

"Of course, Mr. Kaiba," Roland nodded.

"Yeah!" Mokuba agreed. Then then got into Roland's car.

"Let's go to the hospital, I need to see Misty," Seto requested.

"I need to take Mokuba to see Sophia first. He asked me first," Roland replied.

"Can you drop me off at the hospital on the way please?" Seto requested.

"Ok," Roland agreed and he drove Seto to the hospital and dropped him off and took Mokuba to the library. Mokuba sighed as he got out of the car, and went inside.

"Hey baby!" Sophia greeted him happily with a hug as she saw him while she was putting away books. Mokuba didn't hug back.

"Babe? What's wrong?" Sophia asked as she pulled away. Her jade green eyes looked Mokuba over from behind her glasses, and she tilted her head confused. Mokuba looked really upset.

"Let go…" Mokuba instructed as calmly as he could manage.

"Babe, talk to me, what's wrong?" Sophia asked earnestly. He was really starting to worry her.

"Your relative, Nero Yakamori, came to Kaiba Corp today, broke into Seto's office, corrupted his files, network, and accounts, and when Misty confronted him, he beat her badly to where she was knocked out cold and bleeding on the floor! Seto beat him to a pulp and was arrested! Misty is in the hospital, and could die, and maybe even the babies too!" Mokuba exclaimed and was kinda loud. People started to stare at them.

"MIND YOUR BUSINESS!" Mokuba yelled at them.

"Oh God no…" Sophia gasped horrified at what she was hearing.

"Yes, it really happened," Mokuba confirmed. "And I was horrified that monster was your relative." Sophia started sobbing.

"B-but…b-but I didn't know anything about that! I would never hurt Misty…or your family!" Sophia protested while sobbing.

"Why should I believe that?" Mokuba snapped. "Your family has been nothing but trouble for us. Two of them are in prison right now, and one is in the hospital and headed to prison once he's recovered enough." More people were staring at them and someone went to get the manager.

"B-but Mokuba… I have…n-nothing…to do…w-with them… Why would I…r-ruin the…b-best thing…that…ever h-happened… to me? I…f-finally…h-have a…r-real…f-family!" Sophia sputtered. Sophia's manager came up to them.

"You two need to leave now," her manager ordered. Sophia covered her mouth and got her things and hailed a cab home. Mokuba sighed heavily and went back to Roland's car and got in. Roland didn't say anything, knowing things went badly between his young boss and Sophia, judging by how she had run out crying and hailed a cab home. Mokuba was extremely upset. He didn't like seeing her crying like that, and it hurt his heart, but he was also still angry with her. However, he had to put that at the back of his mind for now; his brother needed his support badly, and he wanted to be there for when news came in about how Misty and the babies were doing.

"Let's go to the hospital now, please," Mokuba requested.

"Yes sir," Roland agreed and started the car as soon as Mokuba put his seatbelt on and drove back to the hospital. He left Mokuba at the door and went to find parking. Mokuba called Seto to find out where he was, and Seto had told him that he was in the 2nd floor waiting room near the Intensive Care Unit, and that she was still in surgery. Mokuba could hear pure fear and helplessness in his brother's voice, and it frightened him; he had never heard him that scared since they were little children. Seto was always fearless, brave, and strong.

"Roland and I will be up soon," Mokuba promised.

"Ok," Seto agreed and they hung up. Once Roland found parking and saw Mokuba, Mokuba led him to the elevator and hit the 2nd floor button. He was thankful that they were the only two in the elevator. They got off on the 2nd floor and followed the directions Seto had given Mokuba to the waiting room.

"Seto," Mokuba greeted and hugged his brother. Seto hugged him tight for a good long moment. Roland was quiet, knowing his bosses were in an emotional state right now. He hoped Misty would pull through. Mokuba and Seto sat down and waited anxiously for any updates.

* * *

Meanwhile…

As the paramedics had rushed Misty and Nero into separate operating rooms, the paramedics had told the doctors, surgeons, and nurses that would be involved in Misty's care that she had been battered pretty badly to cause encephelorrhagia (en-seph-ello-raw-ja; bleeding from the head), most likely from Mr. Seto Kaiba's rage, and also that she was pregnant.

"Holy shit!" the doctors, surgeons, and nurses exclaimed in shock that he would be attached to something so horrendous. The paramedics explained the scene they saw when he begged them to help her and the babies, and they brought her here.

"We have to do what we can to save her and the babies," the doctors, surgeons, and nurses agreed and first cut her clothes off and got her in a hospital gown. They first rolled her to the MRI lab, injected her with a safe tinting fluid so they could see any internal damage easier, and would not harm the babies. They found where the damage was, and noticed that the babies were fine. They got her into the operating room and put her under anesthesia and got to work operating on her, fixing her internal damage.

While she was in the operating room, a doctor had instructed a nurse to contact her family.

"But her family is in America, that would be an expensive call," Nurse Iwatari, Misty's previous nurse she'd had when she was in the hospital after the fire, protested.

"Well, figure something out," the doctor demanded gruffly. "I want her family contacted because that would be a safer bet than giving Mr. Kaiba medical power over her considering the trauma she just endured."

"Yes sir," Nurse Iwatari agreed. She first tried to find her emergency contact information in her medical record, and luckily she had found her mother's phone number and contact information listed under Mr. Kaiba's information. She got permission to make an international call, and dialed her mother's number.

Naturally, her mother saw the caller id on her phone from Domino, Japan, and instantly was alarmed. Misty knew better than to make a regular call on the phone; Skype was cheaper. She had a strong, sense of dread knot in her stomach, and she knew something had happened.

" _Answer it," an ethereal voice had commanded her._ Immediately, her mother answered the call.

"This is Carmen," her mother greeted cautiously.

"Hi, Ms. Robinson, this is Nurse Vanessa Iwatari from Domino Hospital. We have a patient by the name of Misty Robinson here, and you are one of her emergency contacts," Nurse Iwatari greeted.

"Oh God! What's going on with Misty?!" her mother asked panic-stricken.

"Well, she was admitted just a few minutes ago, and is in emergency surgery. She was badly beaten and has encephalorrhagia, which is bleeding from the head," Nurse Iwatari explained. Misty's mother's intense brown eyes went wide with shock and horror.

"What happened?!" her mother demanded.

"When the paramedics arrived on scene, they found her badly beaten on the floor and bleeding, along with a severely beaten man, by Mr. Kaiba's hands. He begged the paramedics to save her and the babies," Nurse Iwatari explained.

"BABIES?! HE BEAT HER?!" Misty's mother shrieked.

"I'm afraid so, ma'am," Nurse Iwatari confirmed.

"DON'T LET HIM OR HIS BROTHER ANYWHERE NEAR HER AFTER SHE IS OUT OF SURGERY!" Her mother commanded. "We'll be there in a few weeks, as soon as we get our passports," Misty's mother announced.

"Yes ma'am," Nurse Iwatari replied and they hung up. Nurse Iwatari went to tell the doctor what Misty's mother had instructed and that she would be here in a few weeks.

"Alright, we'll keep him and his brother away from her," the doctor agreed and passed the message along. They could give them updates, but they weren't allowed anywhere near her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Misty's mother was calling Wes and told him, and then told her ex-husband, Misty's father, what happened. They were equally as shocked, horrified, and infuriated to learn that Seto had beaten a PREGNANT Misty, and another man. They didn't think Misty would cheat on him; she had demonstrated that she was absolutely crazy in love with Seto when they were there in San Antonio last month, and they had raised her better than that. They then started looking at a general cost of plane tickets for the three of them to fly to Domino, and knew it was going to cost a fortune.

"Why don't we do a GoFundMe page?" Wes suggested. His parents sighed and pursed their lips. They didn't have much choice. Sure, the rest of the family could chip in, but they still needed a lot. They created a GoFundMe page to expire in a few days, and left off Misty's last name for her protection. Misty and Wes's mom started praying hard and calling her other family members to tell them what happened, while Wes and his and Misty's dad were sharing the page link on Facebook and anywhere else they could manage. Even their friends were sharing the link too.

Donations came pouring in quickly, and everyone who donated to help was shocked to hear about what happened to Misty, and that Seto Kaiba would do such a thing to his pregnant fiancée. Hell, they were even shocked that he had a pregnant fiancée to begin with.

It wasn't long before they had the money they needed and posted a message thanking everyone for their help… and the word that Seto Kaiba had beaten his pregnant fiancée and another man in his office the same day everything of his failed had become viral.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Roland was sitting with an increasingly anxious Seto and Mokuba, and was browsing his Facebook feed on his phone out of boredom, when an interesting GoFundMe post caught his eyes. He clicked on it and gasped as he read; it was the GoFundMe page Misty's family had created to raise money to get them there to Domino and get Misty, and that they were libeling Seto in the post, believing him to have been the one who beat her. Immediately, Roland got up and saw a doctor. He tapped his shoulder.

"Yes sir?" the doctor asked as he turned to face an irate Roland.

"Would you know anything about Misty Robinson?" Roland asked.

"Yes, I do," the doctor confirmed.

"Why is Misty's family posting a libelous GoFundMe page about Mr. Kaiba?" Roland demanded and showed the doctor the post. The doctor skimmed the page.

"Apparently they needed money to get here, pay for her medical costs, and take her home," the doctor answered.

"HOW DO THEY EVEN HAVE THIS FALSE INFORMATION?" Roland demanded. Seto and Mokuba had looked up to see what was going on after hearing Roland getting angry.

"Her mother was contacted and explained what happened," the doctor answered simply.

"THAT'S FALSE INFORMATION!" Roland declared.

"The evidence is there," the doctor argued.

"HE DIDN'T DO IT!" Roland insisted. Mokuba and Seto came up to the doctor and Roland to find out what was going on.

"What's going on?" Seto asked. Roland showed him the post. "WHAT?!" Seto demanded angrily and horrified at what he was reading. "THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" Seto exclaimed.

"We have proof!" Mokuba and Roland exclaimed.

"Regardless, we can't do anything about it," the doctor replied. "We can give you updates, but you two aren't allowed to be near her, as per her mother's orders."

"I'm her fiancé!" Seto insisted.

"Maybe so, but you aren't legally her husband, yet, so any directives must come from her family, and they've directed us to not let you near her. You will have to take it up with them," the doctor responded. Seto, Mokuba, and Roland growled in anger and frustration. "Oh, and before I forget about this update, she is in recovery, in a coma. She will be fine, after some time and therapy, and the babies are fine. They were very lucky," the doctor told them. There was a palpable tidal wave of relief that washed over Roland, Mokuba, and Seto. Misty and the babies were going to be fine! The doctor left them and went to catch a break for a few minutes before attending to other duties.

"We should probably go to the mansion," Roland suggested.

"…Alright," Seto and Mokuba agreed, realizing that staying at the hospital right now was pointless since they weren't allowed to see her and they knew Misty and the babies were safe in recovery. They quietly and somberly went to the front entrance of the hospital and Roland went to get the car. He came back a few minutes later after paying for parking and picked them up from the front entrance and went back to the mansion. Before they went inside, Roland gave Seto the flash drive. Upon entering, Shadow came bounding to see her human daddy and uncle and wheezed happily as she circled their legs, her tail wagging like a furious windshield wiper. She sniffed them and looked at them and noticed something was up.

"Hey Shadow," Seto and Mokuba greeted somberly. She leaned against them so they could pet her, and she sniffed them. She smelled the office and the hospital and Misty's scent, and noticed that her human mama wasn't there. She did stay close to her human daddy and uncle, and tried to cuddle with them sensing their sadness. Seto and Mokuba held her close and she licked their faces to offer comfort.

"Thanks Shadow," Seto and Mokuba told her and let her go. She then went looking for Misty, but couldn't find her, and she started to whine glumly. She stayed close to Seto and Mokuba. Mokuba pet her, but Seto was determined to talk to her mother. He found her Skype username and was video calling her while pacing the floor.

"Hello Seto," Misty's mother answered with an unhappy expression on her face. There was a molten fire in her brown eyes, and her tone was as sharp as cold steel.

"WHO GAVE YOU THAT FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?!" Seto demanded.

"YOU BEAT YOUR PREGNANT FIANCEE, MY DAUGHTER, AND ANOTHER MAN IN YOUR OFFICE!" Her mother snarled.

"WRONG! I BEAT HIM BECAUSE HE TRESPASSED ON MY PROPERTY AND BEAT HER! I WALKED IN WITH HER BLEEDING AND UNCONSCIOUS ON THE FLOOR AND ATTACKED HIM FOR IT!" Seto snarled back.

"YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT CRAP?!" Her mother yelled back.

"YES! IT'S THE TRUTH! I HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE!" Seto insisted.

"YEAH, RIGHT! IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU WILL STAY AWAY FROM HER! WE ARE COMING TO GET HER AND HER THINGS TO TAKE HER HOME IN A FEW WEEKS! GOOD-BYE!" her mother retorted and hung up on him. Seto yelled out angrily and got on the computer and hammered the keys writing a post about what actually happened with Misty and everything else that day on his page, and posted the video as evidence. He also copied the post he'd written and pasted it into the GoFundMe comments post, and embedded the video, hoping that would also help prove his innocence. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to help much, and there wasn't much else he could do right now. He knew he and Mokuba wouldn't be able to stay here much longer. He started gathering the most important things he owned and could carry in a bag, including his deck, wedding tux, shoes, undergarments and socks, and some suits so he'd have something to wear when looking for work, and for the wedding that would have to be delayed. He wanted to have it ready when they had to leave. He put his father's wedding ring on his card locket chain, and put it back around his neck. Mokuba had also started packing his most valuable and important items in a bag, including the tux he would've worn to Seto and Misty's wedding, some clothes, his deck, and some mementos of him and Sophia. Shadow was scared and anxious about what was going on. Why was her human daddy and uncle packing up? Were they going to leave? What if they left her like her other family left her?

"It's ok, Shadow," Mokuba tried to reassure her as she leaned into him and Seto whining.

Seto sighed and decided he really needed a strong drink. He had Roland drive him to a liquor store, and he bought a bottle of tequila with some of the cash he had on hand in his wallet, and came back. He poured himself a glass of tequila and Mokuba decided he wanted some too, so he had a glass too. Whooo! This was strong stuff! The alcohol did kinda make them feel a little better, but also made them a bit depressed. For the first time in a long time, they both freely expressed their sadness. Their ladies, their babies, their joy, and everything they worked for were gone, and they didn't know what to do right now. They put the bottle and glasses on the counter, took care of Shadow, and then passed out on the floor after feeding her. They were haunted by nightmares about their world and hearts shattering at their feet, leaving nothing but dark emptiness. They saw their sweethearts' figures shining brightly against a black abyss, but they were like mirages.

* * *

Meanwhile, while Seto, Mokuba, and Roland were at the hospital…

Sophia was crying into her pillow onto her bed in her apartment. She could not believe that Nero had screwed everything up for her. She had just lost her adoptive family, and Misty was in the hospital in surgery, with a huge risk of dying and/or losing the babies too. Her heart felt shattered and she was plagued with worry.

Her phone chimed her text tone, and she was hoping for a miracle; that Mokuba was apologizing for reacting like that and telling her that they weren't over, but of course, it wasn't… it was her boss. She felt her gut sink like a stone in a river as her fingers trembled to open up the message.

It read: "Sophia, I'm sorry. I hate to have to do this, but I'm going to have to let you go. Your boyfriend caused quite the disruption at the library today, and we cannot allow that kind of drama in the library. For future reference, please keep your drama at home. You may come by later to get your final paycheck." Sophia was wide-eyed and dumbfounded, and she covered her mouth as she let out a squeaky gasp. She had lost her job, and soon she'd lose her apartment too. She sobbed again and curled up into the fetal position on her bed, holding her belly. What was she going to do now?

"… _I hate to have to suggest this… but…" her inner self began._

"… _But?" Sophia asked, encouraging her to continue in between her sobs._

"… _We're going to have to go home…to live with mom…" her inner self answered._

" _WHAT?! I CAN'T DO THAT!" Sophia protested._

" _Sweetie, we don't have a choice… we're going to be homeless soon… where else can we go?" her inner self reasoned._ Sophia thought hard about any other options she had, but right now she couldn't think of any. She let out a choking sob as she realized that right now, that was her only option. Her parents were going to be furious with her, and she was really scared about what they'd make her do about the baby. She ran to the bathroom and threw up from the panic and anxiety. When she finished, she went to her room and shakily picked up her phone. Her fingers trembled in fear as she scrolled through her contacts and found her mother's number. Her fingers trembled worse as she hit the call button. Her heart was pounding violently in her chest and ears as the phone was ringing.

"Hello?" Mrs. Yakamori answered.

"H-hi…m-mom…" Sophia greeted, her voice trembling. Mrs. Yakamori was surprised.

"Sophia! What a surprise! I was beginning to think we didn't matter to you anymore," Mrs. Yakamori pointedly greeted. "What do you need?" Sophia took a big breath.

"Mom… I…n-n-need to…move back…h-home…" Sophia managed to get out.

"You make it sound like it's torture," Mrs. Yakamori observed.

"I'm sorry mom... I'm just really upset right now… I don't know what to do…" Sophia apologized.

"What happened?" Mrs. Yakamori asked. She knew damn well what happened. Nero went to Kaiba Corp and executed the revenge, and Seto Kaiba was trending on social media because of the GoFundMe post Misty's family put up. Everyone thought he abused his pregnant fiancée, and her nephew.

"Nero went to Seto's office and uploaded a file that wrecked everything, and then he beat Misty and left her unconscious and bleeding on the floor and Seto came in and beat him for beating her and for trespassing. Misty is pregnant! She and the babies could die! And then Seto got temporarily arrested and Mokuba came to my work and yelled at me about what happened because of Nero! Then he broke up with me! And then my boss texted me and told me I'm fired!" Sophia recanted, sobbing a little again. "I'm about to be homeless… and I'm… pregnant!" she added between sobs. The phrase "I'm pregnant" echoed loudly in Mrs. Yakamori's ears.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT WITH MOKUBA KAIBA'S CHILD?!" She screamed into the phone. Sophia winced and had to hold the phone away from her ear.

"Yes…" Sophia confirmed. Mrs. Yakamori was angry. "Mom… please... I need help... I don't have anywhere else to go…" Sophia begged.

"You can come home. The first thing we're doing is going to see your father in the morning, and you can tell him, but I figure he's not going to be happy to hear that," Mrs. Yakamori told her. "I'll send some of the guys to get your stuff. They'll be there in a couple hours or so," she added.

"Yes, mom," Sophia replied. They hung up and Sophia went back to the library, feeling ashamed and utterly terrible. She picked up her last paycheck from her boss, went to the bank, and headed home. She was glad that at least her mom was letting her come home, but she was still utterly scared. Her mom was not happy about her being pregnant with Mokuba's child, and she had no doubt her father would be LIVID once he found out. They were probably going to force her to do something terrible and it made her feel worse than she already was. The guys her mom had promised had come and helped her pack up and fill a moving truck, and took her home.

"Welcome home, my dear," her mother greeted.

"Thank you, mom," Sophia replied awkwardly.

"Of course, sweetie. It's nice to have you home, especially since you couldn't be bothered to keep in touch that much," her mother replied. Sophia sighed heavily.

"Sorry, mom," Sophia apologized.

"You are forgiven," Mrs. Yakamori replied.

"Excuse me, mom, I'm really tired… it's been a long, bad day, and I just want to rest," Sophia told her mom.

"Very well, go ahead and rest. We'll need you looking fresh tomorrow. Good night." Mrs. Yakamori bade.

"Good night," Sophia bade and went to her room, changed, and climbed into her bed, tears pouring silently from her jade green eyes as she curled up in the fetal position holding her belly.

* * *

The next morning…

Mrs. Yakamori had taken Sophia to the jail to see her father and cousin. Sophia was frightened about what her father would say especially. Her heart thudded violently in her chest. Soon, Mr. Yakamori and Tao had come to the visitor's room where she and her mother were waiting, behind the thick panel of glass that separated them. Mr. Yakamori and Tao were surprised to see Sophia there with Mrs. Yakamori. Sophia's jade green eyes widened behind her glasses as she saw how muscular her father and Tao had become.

"Well, well, if it isn't my sweet daughter who finally came to visit her father and cousin in prison," Mr. Yakamori remarked sort of sarcastically. The biting, sarcastic tone was not lost on Sophia.

"…hi daddy… hi Tao," Sophia greeted.

"So, what made you decide to finally take the time to visit us?" Mr. Yakamori asked. His lean, muscular arms were crossed in front of him as he asked.

"She has something to tell you, don't you Sophia?" her mother answered and nudged her. "Tell 'em."

"D-daddy… I'm…p-p-pregnant…" Sophia got out, trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. Mr. Yakamori's eyes widened and the vein in his temple started to throb.

"WHAT?!" Mr. Yakamori and Tao exclaimed at the same time. They had not expected her to be PREGNANT!

"Who's the father?" Mr. Yakamori demanded. Sophia didn't want to answer knowing full well that her father would try and get someone to kill him. Even though Mokuba broke her heart a little bit ago, she didn't want him harmed. "WHO IS IT?!" Mr. Yakamori demanded.

"Tell him!" Mrs. Yakamori prodded.

"IT'S THAT MOKUBA KAIBA'S BABY, ISN'T IT?!" Mr. Yakamori snarled and yelled out.

"Calm down!" the guard demanded to Mr. Yakamori.

"Buzz off!" Mr. Yakamori snapped and turned to his daughter.

"WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO KEEP THAT KAIBA CHILD IN YOUR WOMB! YOU WILL GO AND HAVE AN ABORTION!" Mr. Yakamori shouted and then was hit with a tranquilizer dart for his outburst, and then Tao was too, considering he would've gone after the guard. Mr. Yakamori and Tao yelled out, and then started to get drowsy. The guard called for help and within seconds, more guards came and took them back to their cell. Another couple guards escorted Sophia and Mrs. Yakamori out of the prison to the exit. Sophia was quiet and upset as they got in the car and her mother started driving home.

"You heard your father. You're going to have an abortion for that Kaiba baby," her mother declared matter-of-factly. Sophia was horrorstruck that she was going to be forced to do that, and tears streamed from her eyes.

"Mom, please don't make me do that," Sophia begged as she cried.

"Your father gave you an order and you will comply, or you can live out on the streets and try to survive there," her mother threatened.

"Why? Why do I have to?" Sophia asked while sobbing.

"You know the Kaiba family are our enemies, and you being pregnant with that child of Mokuba Kaiba's brings us shame," Mrs. Yakamori explained.

"Mom, it doesn't make sense!" Sophia cried out. "They did nothing to deserve it, and neither did Misty!"

"The Kaiba brothers hold lots of power in Domino, and they associate with someone who disrespected your father. You know your father won't tolerate that disrespect," Mrs. Yakamori reasoned.

"Mom, Misty was right, and she was defending me! Daddy shouldn't have been trying to pressure me that day!" Sophia protested.

"Enough! When did you get so defiant? You're going to have the abortion, and that's final! Now behave!" Mrs. Yakamori snarled. Sophia knew it was going to do no good for her to keep talking and trying to counter her mother, so she silently stared out the window crying. She felt so depressed right now. Why did she come home? She basically had no rights here… she closed her puffy, jade and red-rimmed eyes as she thought about how accepted and valued she was with Misty, Seto, Mokuba, Rosa, and the staff. Her voice mattered. Her feelings mattered, but like a dream, all that wisped away like smoke.

Mrs. Yakamori then had taken her to a clinic with a good, licensed, doctor they trusted, and who was always willing to do any medical services the Yakamori family required. Sophia's jade green eyes widened and she was feeling extremely anxious.

"Please mom, don't make me do it," Sophia begged.

"You're going to do it!" her mother insisted and forced her to go inside and sign in. The receptionist thought it was alarming how she was being forced in here and to sign in. She did greet them politely and gave them the forms to fill out and went to tell Dr. Jamari that they were there and that Sophia seemed like she was being forced to be there.

"I'll talk to her when I visit with her," Dr. Jamari promised.

"Should I call the police?" the receptionist asked.

"Hold off on it," Dr. Jamari instructed.

Sophia's hands trembled violently as she wrote her information, and some tears slipped out of her jade green eyes.

"Stop your crying. It's unbecoming of a beautiful woman," her mother told her. Sophia tried to stop crying, but couldn't. Then she was taken to an examination room and her vitals and medication history were taken. Her heart rate and blood pressure were through the roof because of her anxiety.

"Do you feel safe?" the medical assistant asked. Sophia shook her head. The medical assistant was alarmed and concerned. She asked the other questions she needed to know and found Dr. Jamari and explained her concerns.

"This sounds serious," Dr. Jamari noted and then went into the examination room with her and shut the door.

"Hey Sophia, what's going on?" Dr. Jamari asked gently and looked over her records and progress notes.

"My mom is forcing me to have an abortion, and I don't want one," Sophia explained tearfully.

"Oh, I see," Dr. Jamari replied as he understood. He squeezed Sophia's hand in a caring, comforting gesture.

"Please! I really don't want to do it! I love my baby and the baby's father!" Sophia begged.

"Sophia, nobody can force you to do any procedure you don't want to do. It's against the law," Dr. Jamari explained. Sophia let out another sob, this time of relief. She was able to keep her baby after all! Dr. Jamari was admittedly relieved that he didn't have to do the procedure after all. He did support a woman's right to choose, but he didn't particularly enjoy doing the abortion procedures. It wasn't about what he thought, but it was about the patients and their needs. "In the meantime, how about we take a look at the baby and see how he or she is growing?" he suggested. Sophia nodded and sputtered in relief. Dr. Jamari had instructed her that he was going to have a technician do an endovaginal ultrasound, so he could have a better picture of her growing baby, and Sophia consented. While Sophia got ready for the procedure, Dr. Jamari had called the police and reported Mrs. Yakamori, who was sitting in the waiting room, for abuse. A few minutes later, the police had come and arrested Mrs. Yakamori.

"What the hell? What did I do?" Mrs. Yakamori exclaimed shocked that the police were arresting her. "You have no business arresting me! I didn't do anything wrong!" Mrs. Yakamori protested.

"You are being arrested for abuse," an officer explained and read her rights to her as they cuffed her.

"I didn't abuse anyone!" Mrs. Yakamori protested and then had an epiphany; Sophia had said something to the doctor and the staff and told them that her mother was abusing her. She was angry and she had fought, but the officers subdued her and added resisting arrest to her charges. She should have known her daughter would betray her… as far as she knew, Sophia was no longer her daughter… she was put in the back of the patrol car and was taken to the station downtown.

Sophia had heard the commotion outside in the waiting room, and was relieved that she was safely in this room waiting for her ultrasound, and that her mom was taken away. She knew her mother and father would disown her now, and she was honestly ok with it; they weren't much of a family to her anyway.

While she waited for Dr. Jamari and the technician, she called Rosa's cell phone.

"Hello?" Rosa answered. Like the rest of Seto and Mokuba's staff, she was looking online for another job online.

"Rosa! I need your help!" Sophia begged.

"What is it dear?" Rosa asked, immediately going into protective mama mode. Sophia explained everything to her maternal friend.

"Are you serious?!" Rosa asked shocked, especially about the part that her parents were forcing her to have an abortion just because she was pregnant with Mokuba's child. She didn't understand why Sophia's parents hated Mokuba and Seto so much.

"Yeah… but I'm not having one… my mom just got arrested for abuse for trying to force me to, and I'm at the clinic about to have an ultrasound to see my baby," Sophia explained.

"Which clinic are you in?" Rosa asked and Sophia told her where. "Alright, I'll be there soon. I'll be waiting in the waiting room. Do you have money to cover the fee today?"

"I'll need some help," Sophia admitted.

"Alright, I'll help you out," Rosa promised.

"Thank you, Rosa," Sophia replied with genuine gratitude.

"You're welcome sweetie. I'll see you soon," Rosa bade and hung up. She instructed her husband to get a room ready for Sophia, and headed over to the clinic. She went and waited in the waiting room for her.

* * *

About 5 minutes later, the ultrasound technician was doing the endovaginal ultrasound for Sophia, and Dr. Jamari was looking at the tiny embryo on the screen. Dr. Jamari smiled and pointed out Sophia's baby. It looked like a tiny little manatee with hand and leg nubs, a spinal tail, a big head, eye spots, and ear holes, and there was a rapid heartbeat.

"Well, it looks like your baby is about 5 weeks along, and everything looks good. You should be due about mid-January, or maybe Christmas at the earliest," Dr. Jamari explained and gave her more information she needed to know. Sophia was happy and eagerly took the pictures printed out, and Dr. Jamari and the technician gave her some privacy to get dressed. When she finished, she gathered her pictures and things and came out to the waiting room. Rosa immediately stood up and hugged Sophia in a maternal bear hug. When they parted, Rosa paid the bill, and led her out of the clinic. As they walked to the car, Sophia showed the ultrasound pictures to Rosa.

"Aww! Your baby is so tiny!" Rosa remarked as she looked at the pictures. Sophia smiled and then took the pictures back when Rosa had finished looking at them.

"Thank you for coming to get me, and taking care of the bill," Sophia thanked her.

"Of course, dear. You're like family to me," Rosa replied and they buckled up. "So, dear, where do you live? I can stop by your family's home to get your things."

"I just really want my clothes. The rest of my belongings don't matter. The less time I have to be at home, the better," Sophia replied.

"Was it really that bad?" Rosa asked concerned. Sophia nodded.

"I hated the way they treated me, that's why I was living on my own," Sophia explained.

"Oh you poor thing…" Rosa gasped sympathetically. Sophia nodded.

"You, Hari, Edward, the staff, and especially Mokuba, Misty, and Seto were my family. You all made me feel like I was welcome and genuinely loved," Sophia told her with a few tears slipping from her jade green eyes behind her glasses. "Well, at least I got you back." Rosa reached over and hugged her as much as the seatbelt would allow. There was a comforting silence in the hug, and they parted.

"Thank you," Sophia told her and felt better.

"You're welcome sweetheart," Rosa replied and started the car and followed Sophia's directions to the Yakamori mansion. She and Sophia got into the mansion thanks to Sophia's key, and they got the clothes. Sophia and Rosa were left alone, and it didn't take long for them to get the clothes and leave. Rosa brought her home, and her husband, Manny, had finished preparing a room for Sophia.

"Hey honey," Manny greeted. "The room is ready."

"Thanks honey," Rosa replied with a smile and a peck on the lips. "Manny, this is Sophia Yakamori, Sophia, this is my husband, Manolo, but he also goes by Manny."

"Hello," Sophia greeted with a smile and shook his hand. Manny smiled and shook her hand. He was an older gentleman in his mid-40s, had black and gray hair that was slicked back, tan skin, black and gray stubble, a lean frame, and he wore a red polo and khaki pants and brown loafers.

"It's nice to meet you. Rosa talks all the time about you, Mr. Kaiba, and Mokuba, and Misty," Manny told her. Sophia smiled. "Follow me," Manny instructed and showed her the room in which she would be staying. "We'll let you get settled in," he replied.

"Thank you," Sophia replied with a nod and a smile and started to put her clothes away. She sighed in relief that she and her baby were safe, especially here. She did feel a little pain in her heart when Manny had mentioned Mokuba, Seto, and Misty, and a few tears sprang to her jade green eyes. She took her glasses off and wiped away the tears, vowing to be strong; she had no other choice.

After a while, Sophia joined Rosa and Manny for dinner, delicious steaks, green beans, and butter and garlic mashed potatoes.

"It's as delicious as always Rosa," Sophia complimented her as she enjoyed a large portion of the meal.

"Thank you sweetheart," Rosa beamed. "Manny grilled the steaks," Rosa told her, offering due credit to her husband.

"It's delicious. It's so juicy and tender," Sophia complimented Manny. Manny smiled.

"Thank you dear," he replied. After dinner, Manny and Sophia helped Rosa clean up, and Manny gave Rosa a hug and a kiss, and it tugged at Sophia's heart; she really missed Mokuba, and she wondered if he missed her too, which of course he did.

When they went to bed later, Sophia lay awake, tears pouring from her jade green eyes, making them red and puffy. She had a hand on her belly, and soon fell asleep, only to be plagued with nightmares.

* * *

A few, long, painful weeks later…

Seto and Mokuba were waiting at the mansion anxiously. Misty's parents and brother were on the way there to get Misty's things, Shadow, and Shadow's things. He and Mokuba had packed everything of Misty's so they were ready to go, and it was a heartwrenching experience. It was almost as if she had died, but she hadn't… she was in a coma and had woken up just a few days ago, with amnesia, according to the doctor that had called them with her status reports. Seto and Mokuba were heartbroken and angry that they couldn't be there when she woke up, and that she had no memory of them thanks to that bastard Nero, who was now dead and possibly rotting in hell. Seto was extremely lucky he wasn't in trouble.

Seto had also had a hassle of getting a partial refund of the money he had spent for the wedding, but he got it back, into a new account and onto a new bank card he had opened since his other accounts were hacked and emptied, and at least he and Mokuba had some money for the time being.

He had also asked Roland if he and Mokuba could move in with him, his wife, and children, but they had no room to spare, and things were really tight for them now. Seto and Mokuba understood, and then Seto asked Rosa if he and Mokuba could move in with her and Manny. Fortunately, she said yes. Seto and Mokuba were relieved they could stay there, not knowing that Sophia was there too.

Today was also Mokuba's 19th birthday, and he and Mokuba were both feeling terrible. Seto felt more guilt than anything today knowing that it was a crappy day and he couldn't really do anything special for Mokuba's birthday, aside from just being together with him and wishing him a happy birthday, which he did earlier that morning.

To pass the time while they waited for Misty's family, Seto and Mokuba played with Shadow for the last time. Shadow was happy to play with her human daddy and uncle, but could sense their depression, so occasionally she would cuddle them and kiss them, to which they were grateful.

A car and a moving truck then pulled up outside, and Shadow's ears perked up and she ran to the door curiously with her head tilted.

"That must be them…" Mokuba said solemnly.

"I suppose so," Seto concurred. He put the video on his phone and paused it to have easy access to show Misty's family his innocence while they were getting out of the car that was driven there and were instructing the moving men about Misty's things. Misty's mother then rang the doorbell and Seto answered.

"Hi… I need to talk to all of you," Seto greeted in a direct business tone. He was so ready for this "talk." Shadow came behind his legs and tried to nose her way through to see what was going on.

"Shadow, come here," Mokuba commanded and held her.

"Wow she really does look like Lulu," Wes remarked as he saw her.

"Nevermind her, I have something to discuss with you," Seto retorted sharply.

"We have nothing to say to you," Misty's mother shot back.

"But I have something to say to you and show you," Seto insisted. "I am innocent! I did NOT hit her! I have proof! Here!" Seto declared vehemently and pulled out his phone and played the video. Each time he played it, he could feel the terrible memories of that moment wash over him as if it was still fresh. Misty's parents and Wes watched in horror and winced as Misty squared up with Nero after pulling the alarm, and they saw her get beaten and hit the floor, with blood coming from her head, and then they saw Seto come in, yell at the guy, and pummel him until he was pulled off. They also saw how genuinely panicked Seto was about Misty being hurt and the possibility of losing her and the babies.

"See?! He's innocent!" Mokuba piped up. Misty's parents and Wes pursed their lips sheepishly. True, the video showed his innocence, but he was dangerous, due to the way he beat that man in the video.

"Maybe so, but you still showed violent tendencies in that video," Misty's mother argued.

"Because she was hurt and I was livid and scared! I would NEVER raise a hand to her or the babies! I love them way too much to hurt them! Plus, he ruined EVERYTHING Mokuba and I have been working on since we were teenagers!" Seto insisted vehemently.

"So, what happens when you do snap at her and hit her because you got angry about something she did? What then?" Misty's father demanded.

"I'M NOT GOING TO!" Seto snarled. "NOW LET ME SEE HER! PLEASE!"

"Seto, we think it's in her best interest that you don't. Based on the updates we've gotten, she doesn't remember you and Mokuba, or much anything else, she needs time to recover, and you can't take care of her right now," her mother calmly explained.

"She does have a point…" Wes agreed.

" _I agree," his inner self chimed in._

" _WHAT?!" Seto demanded to his inner self. "YOU TRAITOR!"_

" _Hear me out," his inner self pleaded calmly. "We don't want to stress her out. If we go in and she gets frightened because there are men in her room that she doesn't recognize, she will get stressed out and it could harm the babies. We need to let her slowly recover, and plus we don't have that much money right now. We will reunite with them in a while," his inner self reasoned._ Seto pursed his lips sadly and broken-hearted. He couldn't bear the thought of being separated from them for so long, but he loved her and the babies too much to selfishly hold them here where he couldn't take care of them.

"…Alright, but promise you will give me daily updates about her and the babies, Please!" Seto begged.

"We promise," Misty's parents and Wes promised and shook Seto's hand, and then the movers then started getting Misty's things and put them in the truck. Seto and Mokuba watched sadly and held onto Shadow, who had warmed up a little around these other people. Right now, she was busy comforting her human daddy and uncle.

" _It's for the best… for now…" Seto told himself._

" _You'll see her again soon," his inner self promised._

" _Not soon enough…" Seto countered_. Misty's mom then took Shadow and Wes and Misty's father had gotten Shadow's things. Shadow was anxious as they were taking her away from her human daddy and uncle.

"It's ok Shadow… you're going to see mama again," Mokuba tried to reassure her. Shadow perked up when she heard that, but she was still scared, and she started to whine. Wes got in the car with her and held her while Misty's father sat in the passenger seat and her mother sat in the backseat with Wes and Shadow. Mokuba and Seto stood outside and watched as the car Misty's family and Shadow were riding in pulled away with the moving truck behind them, and then disappear onto the horizon. Seto felt like his heart had been ripped away from him and he was like a paper husk. He called Rosa to see if she could pick him up, and she promised she'd be there in 10 minutes. Seto thanked her and he and Mokuba gathered their things, locked up the house, and sat outside on the steps for 10 minutes. When Rosa pulled up, they smiled wryly and stood up as she got out of the car. They carried their things down the steps to the car and Rosa had popped the trunk for them. Seto and Mokuba deftly lifted their bags and put them in the trunk and shut it. As soon as they shut the trunk, they hugged Rosa.

"Thank you so much for allowing us to stay," Seto and Mokuba thanked her.

"You're welcome. You two are like sons to me," Rosa replied. "By the way, Happy Birthday Mokuba."

"Thanks Rosa," Mokuba replied. Seto and Mokuba smiled a little and got in the car and buckled up. On the drive to her house, Rosa decided to ask about what had just transpired.  
"So, her family came and got her things and Shadow already?"

"Yes, about 10 minutes before you came to get us," Mokuba replied.

"How did it go?"

"It was heartwrenching… I showed them the video to prove my innocence, argued with them, and then they told me I couldn't see her and it was in her best interest to heal, we had no means to take care of her right now, she doesn't have much of a memory right now, and that promised they would give me daily updates of her and the babies' condition. I didn't have much of a choice but to allow it…" Seto explained morosely as he stared out the window.

"I know it's hard, but you'll get to see her soon," Rosa tried to reassure him. She really hoped he could see them soon.

"It's not soon enough…" Seto replied. Those words were probably going to become a mantra.

"I know, but have faith," Rosa added.

"I have to find a way to fix what happened… I have to find a way to get enough money to get over there to San Antonio," Seto declared. "As soon as I get enough money to get there and fixed everything, I will go to her," Seto declared.

"How long is it going to take to fix everything?" Rosa asked curiously.

"It will take a few months, about 3 at the least," Seto figured.

"That should be plenty enough time," Mokuba chimed in enthusiastically. Seto nodded and smirked, feeling better that he had a goal in mind to help ease the pain of the upcoming months without his love and his babies.

"What are you going to do in the meantime to get the money to save up to go to her?" Rosa asked. She knew planning things out helped comfort him and gave him a purpose.

"Well I could start a GoFundMe or something, just like her family did, and I'll probably take a job somewhere to add to that and help you and Manny," Seto strategized.

"I'll take a job too," Mokuba chimed in and also felt a little better. At least helping Seto, Rosa, and Manny would help him keep his mind of Sophia and his baby; it was still painful to think about.

"Sounds like a great plan," Rosa replied. "Oh, by the way Mokuba, I have a birthday surprise for you at home," Rosa teased with a smile.

"A surprise? For me?" Mokuba asked incredulously.

"Mhmmm," Rosa replied with relish seeing his grey eyes alight just a little.

"I can't wait to see what it is," Mokuba replied and was curious and excited now.

"Oh I think you'll like it, very much," Rosa teased a bit more. The energy in the car was now electrified with curiosity and purpose.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hospital…

Misty sat upright in her bed, watching the TV, and hearing the monitors steadily beeping. Watching the TV helped calm her panicked, racing, frustrated mind. At least whatever was on was simple enough to follow. She did feel some familiarity watching the shows too, but had trouble placing it. The last few days since she'd awoken had been frustrating as she had been trying to piece things together, inducing big headaches. At least the nurses and doctors were helping. Everything had been a blur. She also wondered who gave her the beautiful engagement ring on her finger.

"Good afternoon Misty, how are you feeling today?" Nurse Iwatari asked as she came into Misty's room.

"Confused, of course," Misty answered matter-of-factly. Nurse Iwatari nodded.

"Are you feeling any physical pain? Are you feeling hungry?"

"Well, my head hurts a little, but not much, and yeah I am a bit hungry," Misty answered. Nurse Iwatari got out the menu for her, and Misty pointed to what she wanted. Nurse Iwatari got on the room phone and put the order in for her and looked her over and wrote her vitals down and accounted for the babies' health and vitals too.

"Well, everything looks good internally, and the babies are doing ok," Nurse Iwatari remarked.

"That's good, I'm glad. I just wish I could remember…" Misty lamented with a sigh. "…I've been wondering…" Misty began.

"Yes?" Nurse Iwatari implored Misty to continue.

"Who is the babies' father and who gave me this ring?" Misty asked genuinely wanting to know. She knew she just didn't get pregnant by magic, and that the staff avoided speaking about who it was around her.

"I'm not allowed to say," Nurse Iwatari replied. Misty scowled.

"On whose orders?" Misty demanded.

"Your family's," Nurse Iwatari admitted.

"I need to know," Misty insisted.

"Give me a moment please," Nurse Iwatari requested.

"For what? Just tell me!" Misty demanded irritably. Nurse Iwatari left the room and found a doctor.

"ARGH!" Misty snarled in exasperation and anger. She felt so disrespected. She rubbed her head and felt a fuzzy memory coming to focus. There…was…something… a law… about rights to information she requested about her own health… it started with an H… and it sounded like the name of an animal… Hippo? No… that wasn't right… but it sounded close… Hippa? Yes… that sounded more like it, and then it came back...HIPAA! That was one of her rights! She had the right to information about her own health! She was the patient here! She could make the decisions! When Nurse Iwatari came back, she was going to have to demand it.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside her room…

"Doctor, she's asking about who the babies' father is… Can I tell her?" Nurse Iwatari asked. "She has a right to know… she is the patient," she pointed out.

"Maybe so, but I'm not sure she is of sound mind to get that information," the doctor answered and added, "plus her family ordered us not to."

"She is awake now, and she seems like she can handle it, and she's getting mad that I didn't answer her. We have to obey HER wishes," Nurse Iwatari argued.

"Alright, fine, tell her," the doctor replied and went to take care of another patient. Nurse Iwatari then went back into her room and shut the door.

"Well? You have to tell me, I'm the patient, and I have rights to know about my own health. Back home they're called HIPAA patient rights," Misty demanded.

"You're right," Nurse Iwatari agreed and sat down in the chair next to Misty.

"And why didn't my family want you to tell me about information I need to know?" Misty demanded.

"It's believed that he hit you and caused your amnesia," Nurse Iwatari replied.

"What?" Misty asked surprised. "What happened?" Nurse Iwatari then explained the scene the paramedics told them when they brought her in a few weeks ago, and she had mentioned Seto's name in the interim as she explained. Misty listened, but something didn't feel right about that version.

"Something doesn't feel right about that…" Misty replied with an eyebrow raised over one of her fierce chocolate eyes.

"Are you remembering something?" Nurse Iwatari asked.

"I'm not sure… I just know that my gut is saying that's not right…" Misty explained and sighed. Just then, her food was brought in. She thanked the person who brought it in, and started eating. Nurse Iwatari finished what she had to do and left her be to eat. While Misty ate, she flipped through the channels, and found Beauty and the Beast was playing. She smiled, feeling a sense of nostalgia and a memory come washing over her like a gentle wave. This was one of her favorites. She even started singing along softly. And there was something oddly familiar about Belle and the Beast's relationship. It was like she had experienced it somehow. Maybe this Seto Kaiba was like the Beast and she was like Belle? There was a dim, blurry glow in her mind as she was watching the movie and feeling a connection. She wondered what he was doing and if he was feeling sad that they were separated. As the movie finished, three people walked in, 2 big men, and a woman who resembled her. This must be her family.

"Misty!" They exclaimed as they walked in and hugged her. Misty hugged back after a minute, and they confirmed that they were her parents and her brother, and more memories surfaced, this time strongly, mostly about them.

"Hi mom, hi dad, hi Wes," Misty greeted. Her family smiled at her as she greeted them.

"You remember us! That's great!" Misty nodded.

"I can't believe you're here," Misty remarked.

"We've come to take you home to take care of you and your babies," her mother replied.

"I see," Misty replied. "I have a question. Why weren't they allowed to tell me that Seto Kaiba is the father of my children and my fiancé?"

"We weren't sure if you'd be able to handle it. We didn't want him hurting you any further," her father answered.

"I'm not sure, but that doesn't feel right…" Misty told them.

"Even if it isn't, you've endured some head trauma, and we think it's best if you recover at home with us, where we can keep you safe and well cared for," her mother told her.

"Safe? From what?" Misty retorted.

"Well, we don't want you risking your safety and everyone else's going out by yourself. You're going to have to relearn a lot," her father answered.

"Fine, I'll relearn everything, but don't patronize me!" Misty snapped. "If I ask questions, I expect HONEST answers!"

"Alright, alright, take it easy," her father relented. Her mother and brother also agreed.

"Good. I have another question, was your fear of him hurting me what kept him from coming here to see me?"

"Yes…" her family admitted. "We made an arrangement with him and his brother that he is to leave you alone for a while to allow you to recover, one step at a time, and let us take care of you," Wes told her.

"Why can't he take care of me?" Misty asked. It sounded odd to her.

"He doesn't have that much money to take care of you, or your dog. He can barely take care of himself and his brother," her father explained.

"I see. I have a dog? Where is it? What kind?" Misty asked curiously.

"She's in my hotel room, and she's a Catahoula-Lab. Her name is Shadow," her mother explained.

"Nice," Misty replied with a smile. There was a sense of familiarity. Dogs were familiar to her, but she wanted to know more about her fiancé.

"What does he look like?" Misty asked.

"Who?" Wes asked.

"My fiancé, Seto Kaiba," Misty answered with an annoyed look. Wes then pulled out his phone and got a picture of Seto pulled up. Misty gazed at it for a while, and felt odd. There was a sense of familiarity as she gazed at the picture of him, then when she couldn't take the buzzing feeling anymore of the memories that threatened to wash over her like a tsunami, she looked away.

"Are you ok?" her father asked.

"My head hurts… a tsunami of memories threatened to wash over me, but I don't feel strong enough to take it..." Misty answered.

"It's ok, a little at a time," her mother said gently.

"I think I should rest," Misty announced.

"You should do that. We'll get out of your hair and let you rest," her father told her and they left the room and went to the hotel and their rooms.

Misty turned off the TV and the lights, got Nurse Iwatari to unhook her, and went to the bathroom and washed her hands before going back to bed and settling in to sleep. _She was dreaming about Beauty and the Beast, where she was Belle and Seto Kaiba was the beast, and had turned into a prince after she told him she loved him. He asked her to marry him and she said yes, of course. As they were about to get married, she was pregnant, and a strange yet handsome man with shaggy black hair, jade green eyes, a five 'o clock shadow on his chin, and a bionic skeleton arm tattoo had invaded the castle and attacked with an army of monsters. She and Seto tried to fight them, but then she was hit by the man and everything went dark, causing her to jolt awake_. Nurse Iwatari hurried to her room after seeing her heart rate spike at the nurse's station.

"Misty? Is everything ok?" Nurse Iwatari asked.

"Just a startling dream," Misty said as she tried to calm down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nurse Iwatari asked. Misty decided not to tell her feeling like she would have her dream dismissed. It felt like a clue to what really happened. _Misty shook her head and went back to sleep, this time dreaming about her mind being a puzzle and she was having to find her lost pieces of her memory in a vast and confusing Wonderland._

 _She alternated between her puzzle piece mind dream, and different versions of her and Seto Kaiba and her blacking out. She sighed knowing she was going to have to keep enduring these dreams for God knows how long._

" _Please God, help me," she prayed._

* * *

Meanwhile, earlier that evening…

Rosa had taken Seto and Mokuba to her and Manny's home, and Sophia had come downstairs to greet Rosa, and she, Mokuba, and Seto were stunned to see each other.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Mokuba and Sophia asked simultaneously and incredulously. "Rosa let me stay here," they answered simultaneously and they both looked at Rosa.

"Surprise! Happy birthday Mokuba," Rosa replied with a smile. They were both stunned silent.

"…Happy Birthday," Sophia told Mokuba.

"Thanks," Mokuba replied and wasn't sure what to do. Both of them seeing each other was like ripping scabbed skin off a wound.

"Alright, now both of you are going to listen to me carefully. It is with the goodness of Manny's and my hearts that we are taking the three of you in, and you two are not going to cause any drama. I didn't tell either of you that I would be bringing the other here, knowing you would've tried to fight with me about it. You two are obviously miserable without each other, you really need each other, and love each other. So, I want you two to go sit on the couch and make up and start talking right now!" Rosa commanded. Sophia, Mokuba, and Seto were surprised she was being so commanding right now to them; it was a side of her they'd never seen before, but they nodded and went to the couch and sat down. Seto sat on another couch and watched, with Rosa. Sophia and Mokuba took a deep breath.

"…I know you think that I had something to do with what happened to Misty, and I know you don't want to hear an apology, but I am sorry…" Sophia began and started to cry as she spoke. "I never wanted this to happen to you, Misty, and Seto…I do still love you, and everyday has been painful from me missing you… and when...my parents… tried to force me…to get an…ab-ab-abortion, I couldn't do it… I love you and our child too much to go through with it!" Sophia sobbed. Seto and Mokuba were shocked that her parents had tried to force her to have an abortion, and their hearts broke. Mokuba then wrapped his arms around her and held her. Sophia immediately wrapped her arms around him tight and cried into his shoulder. Mokuba felt better holding her tight, and hearing that she refused to have the abortion. She really did love him, but he still wanted to hear the truth.

"I love you too. I'm so happy you decided not to have the abortion. Why did your parents try to make you have one?" He had an idea, but he didn't want to assume.

"Because you're the father…" Sophia explained. Mokuba sighed heavily; he knew it. "Both my parents are in jail now… and I'm sure they've disowned me, but I don't care… You, Seto, Misty, Rosa, Roland, Edward, Hari, and the staff are more of my family than my real family was… I couldn't live with them… there was no love with my family… I didn't have the heart for what they were and what they wanted me to be, nor did they care about what I wanted….so I emancipated myself and lived on my own and lived estranged from them… you know that… anything that went on with them, I had absolutely no part of," Sophia told him as she held him tight. Mokuba felt so stupid for not believing her.

"I'm so sorry I blew up at you at the library," Mokuba apologized.

"It's ok Mokuba, I forgive you," Sophia assured him and kissed him. Mokuba was relieved.

"I missed you so much too, and our baby. How is our baby doing?"

"Our baby is doing great. The doctor said that he or she is about 5 weeks along, well, 11 weeks now, he or she would be due around mid-January, or even Christmas at the earliest. Our baby was so tiny," Sophia explained and showed him the ultrasound picture.

"Wow!" Mokuba exclaimed amazed and smiled and rubbed her belly gently. Seto felt envious that his brother was reunited with his love and baby-to-be, and he wished he could be reunited with his love and babies-to-be. What he wouldn't give to go to the hospital and reintroduce himself to Misty and try to help get her memories back.

"… _I have to wait…" Seto thought pained. She deserved that._

" _I know it hurts, but imagine showing up to her parents when the time is right and you're able to take care of her," his inner self encouraged._

"… _Yeah," Seto agreed and tried to focus on his plan_. Mokuba and Sophia were catching up and re-bonding, and then they went to bed, in separate rooms, with Mokuba and Seto in one, and Sophia in another. Mokuba slept a little easier knowing she was in the next room, but he missed her sleeping in his arms. Seto, however, slept restlessly.

* * *

A few days later, Misty was released from the hospital with instructions for her therapy exercises at home, and her family had taken her, Shadow, and her and Shadow's things home on a long flight. Shadow was extremely anxious about the flight, but after 15 hours, they made it home to San Antonio, TX. Misty's parents hired some movers to load Misty's and Shadow's things into a truck, and they followed them home and unloaded the truck for them and brought Misty's things to her room. Misty's parents and brother did help and made sure the movers didn't steal anything. A little while later, Misty and her mother introduced Lucky to Shadow. At first, Lucky wasn't crazy about Shadow, but Misty and her mother got them socialized and he slowly warmed up to her a little, and it was like old times before Lulu had passed away.

* * *

As the months went by,

Misty was remembering more and more gradually, and as promised, Misty's parents emailed updates to Seto, who found hope, joy, and a renewed sense of purpose with each update. He was absolutely thrilled to find out the babies were a boy and a girl, and he loved the names Misty picked out- Joshua Gabriel for his son, and Angelbella Star for his daughter. Of course, Misty would find a way to tie Heaven into their names. He had saved the ultrasound pictures on his flash drive and was so proud of them, he treated them like gold. Rosa and Manny were excited about the babies too, and for Mokuba and Sophia's baby, whom they discovered was a boy.

Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia in the interim had taken jobs to help Rosa and Manny and to save to go to San Antonio to get Misty, and when Mokuba and Seto weren't working at their jobs, they worked on trying to fix everything Nero ruined. They still needed more money, so Seto invested in a GoFundMe fundraiser to help get the money to get to San Antonio. People were reluctant to pitch in and help, despite the fact that he proved his innocence, until he offered free tickets to KaibaLand to all the backers, when the grand re-opening would take place. Immediately, he saw a spike of support.

And shortly after he saw the spike of support in early October, he managed to find the corrupted file Nero uploaded and destroy it. Once he destroyed it and its traces, his computer was working perfectly again. Then he started working on building a much more secure network after booking a flight for him, Mokuba, and Sophia to San Antonio, on October 22nd. He figured seeing his love would be the most perfect birthday gift for him. He emailed Misty's parents to let them know they were coming, but they were still hesitant to let him see her. It pissed Seto off, but he wasn't going to be deterred. He waited, scrimped, saved, and made tremendous effort in 3 long months, and dammit, he was going to see her, and Shadow, talk to her, and get them back!

* * *

They packed their belongings, and then on October 22nd, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia got on the plane to go to San Antonio, TX, after exchanging their money to the USD. Mokuba and Sophia were so excited to see Misty's hometown after all her and Seto's magical and picturesque descriptions, and they were so eager to see Misty again. Mokuba was extremely attentive to Sophia's needs while they were on the plane, and made sure she and their son were ok. While in San Antonio airspace, Seto had Mokuba and Sophia look out the window.

"WOW! IT'S SO HUGE!" Mokuba and Sophia gasped in awe. Seto smiled at their amazement, and about 10 minutes later, they landed at San Antonio International Airport. He was disappointed that Misty's family hadn't come to get him, but then again, he wasn't surprised. They went and got their bags, and Seto booked an Uber to take them to their hotel downtown, the Holiday Inn on Cesar Chavez, near Market Square. . Mokuba and Sophia were awestruck as they stared out the back windows at downtown San Antonio blurring past.

"This is so amazing!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Yes it is!" Mokuba agreed. Seto merely sat in the middle seat, focused on his mission.

"Aren't you happy Seto? We're in San Antonio! We've finally made it!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Yes, we have, but I'm more focused on getting to her family's house and talking to her, and what I'm going to say," Seto explained. Mokuba nodded.

"What are you going to say?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm going to tell them I've worked so hard to get to this point for 3 months, missing out on important events during Misty's pregnancy, scrimping, slaving and saving to get here and have her in my arms again, and they aren't going to stop me!" Seto declared.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Mokuba offered, hoping to help keep him grounded.

"No, I need to confront them myself. Besides, it'll give you time to explore. I recommend getting some bus passes and taking the buses and streetcars around downtown to get where you need to go, and there is a Whataburger here downtown.

"Let's have that for dinner!" Mokuba exclaimed. Seto chuckled.

"Alright, we can do that," Seto consented.

"Yay!" Mokuba and Sophia cheered. The driver then dropped them off at their hotel and they went in to check in and were taken to their room on the 4th floor. Once they settled in, Seto then led them to the bus stop and when the driver came, he asked which bus would take them to the VIA station near Market Square, the bus driver told him, and then they waited for the right bus. When they got on, they used some of their American money for the fare and they went to the bus station. They each bought a few monthly bus passes and kept them in their wallets. They then boarded an old-fashioned yellow route streetcar, and Mokuba and Sophia thought it was cool, for they had never been on an old-fashioned styled streetcar before. They each inserted their bus pass and then they were stamped with an expiration date set a month ahead. They sat near the front and Seto and Mokuba marveled at how cool this ride was. They rode around downtown and got off at the stop across the street from Whataburger. Mokuba and Sophia grinned and they crossed the street safely before going in. Thankfully, it wasn't busy right now. Mokuba and Sophia were excited and looked at the menu. Seto let them order first, and Mokuba ordered a Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sandwich and Sophia ordered an A1 Thick and Hearty burger. Seto thought that sounded good, so he also ordered an A1 Thick and Hearty burger. Seto paid for the food and they were given one of Whataburger's signature orange table tent numbers and their cups. Seto directed them to the soda fountain and Mokuba and Sophia picked their sodas while Seto got an iced tea. Mokuba and Sophia were fascinated that they could refill their drinks as many times as they wanted this visit. They got their napkins, lids, straws, and then sat down in a booth and put their table tent on the table. A few minutes later, an employee brought their food to them and the tray of ketchup, napkins, and anything else they might need. Seto took a few ketchups for them and the employee grabbed the table tent and went back to the kitchen. The three of them opened the burger wrappers, put the fries on the paper, and opened the ketchup and dug in.

"Mmmm! This is so good!" Mokuba exclaimed and felt the slightly spicy tingle on his lips. "Ooh, that has a good kick to it."

"Yeah! This is delicious! I like the barbecue taste!" Sophia remarked on her burger.

"Yeah, I like this burger too. I think I might like this more than the Avocado Bacon Burger I had last time," Seto chimed in.

"That sounds good too," Mokuba replied.

"It sure does," Sophia agreed and they continued to enjoy their dinner. Mokuba and Sophia could understand why Misty loved this burger place. When they finished and had topped off their drinks, they decided to go and walk along the Riverwalk a little bit. Sophia rested her head on Mokuba's shoulder and Mokuba had his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close as they walked and enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells of the Riverwalk. Seto felt a little jealous and wished Misty was here walking with them. They even took a ride on a barge to get a tour of the Riverwalk, and then headed back to the hotel when they were finished to rest a while because the jet lag had caught up to them.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Misty was feeling sad. She was about to go to an old family friend's wedding, and she felt jealous that her fiancé, Seto Kaiba, wasn't here with her. Sure, it was nice to spend time with her mom and Wes, and it was nice to see old friends, but she wanted him there with her too. She wished they had gotten married before she lost her memory. She was out shopping for a wedding gift, and had bought something off her friend's registry with the plentiful money she had saved on in her account from when she had been working with her fiancé apparently. She also bought a nice dress that allowed room for her rippling baby bump. She went home and wrapped it and relaxed for a bit listening to music, particularly Josh Groban's "My Heart Was Home Again", and hanging out online until she went to bed.

* * *

The next day, she had gone to the wedding with her mom and Wes downtown at San Fernando Cathedral. Everything looked so beautiful. As they were walking to the cathedral from the parking garage, Seto had seen them.

"Misty?" Seto asked aloud, but not loud enough that she could hear.

"Misty?" Sophia and Mokuba echoed. "Where?" Seto then pointed to her, her mom, and Wes, and Sophia and Mokuba gasped. "It is her!" they exclaimed. "Go get her! We'll catch up!"

Seto then managed to catch crosswalks where he was allowed to cross, and was running to catch up. He then crossed the street on the side they were walking, and then caught up to them.

"Misty!" Seto called out. Misty, Wes, and her mother paused to turn around and see who was calling her. Her mother and Wes's eyes widened seeing him.

"YOU'RE HERE?!" they asked incredulously.

"I told you I was coming!" Seto exclaimed while panting. "I…spent…3 months… saving, slaving, and working…my ass off… to get her back!" Seto exclaimed while panting. "And then…. you refuse to…let me…see her?!... I can take care of…her…and Shadow…now!" Seto declared.

"You're Seto Kaiba?" Misty asked as she looked at him. He looked just like the picture of Seto Kaiba that Wes had shown her, but a little rougher.

"Yes!" Seto exclaimed happily and then hugged her more on the side to not crush the babies. Josh and Angelbella sensed something was going on, so they started moving. Then he kissed her. "I've missed you so much! I'm so happy to see you again my love!" Seto exclaimed as he held her. Misty wasn't sure of what to make of this, but it felt so familiar and so good when he held her and kissed her. It was like her body had awoken with a jolt. She felt happy. She smiled slowly and hugged and kissed back. Memories started to come back to her.

"We hate to break up this love fest, but we need to go now," Wes interrupted and he and his mom got Misty free and they continued walking to the church. Seto followed and then Mokuba and Sophia had caught up to them.

"Please, don't take her away from me, I've been without her so long, I don't want to be without her any longer," Seto begged.

"Please go for now. We're attending our friend's wedding," her mom requested.

"Misty!" Mokuba and Sophia called to her and they hugged her. Misty looked blank for a moment.

"It's me Mokuba! Seto's brother!" Mokuba introduced himself happily, hoping she remembered.

"And it's me Sophia!" Sophia introduced herself happily. Misty concentrated and then smiled as memories of them started to come back to her.

"Mokuba, Sophia, it's so good to see you!" Misty greeted and hugged them a moment.

"Come on Misty, let's go," her mom prodded and pulled her away.

"Mom, let's have them join us, please," Misty begged.

"No, they aren't even dressed for the wedding, and they aren't invited. We'd have to talk to Jeremiah and Tracy," her mother resisted. At that moment, her mother's friend Jeremiah had come to greet them.

"Hey Jeremiah," Misty greeted.

"Is everything ok?" Jeremiah asked. Misty's mother then explained that Seto was Misty's fiancé and this was his brother and girlfriend, and they were bothering them.

"Was? No, she is my fiancée!" Seto protested.

"Could they join us at the wedding?" Misty requested politely. Jeremiah seemed reluctant to let them into his son's and future daughter-in-law's wedding. Misty looked crestfallen.

"I don't really know them that well," Jeremiah explained. "I'd prefer not to have them present."

"…Alright," Misty relented. She did have to respect his wishes. "Would you wait for me out here?" Misty asked Seto politely.

"Alright," Seto agreed and kissed her. Her body felt an electric current.

"Thank you," Misty thanked him and was led inside. Her mom had explained what happened between Misty and Seto back in May, and she didn't feel comfortable with him nearby. Misty also had lost her memory and she didn't want to cause Misty any pain, or cause any disturbances with the wedding.

"He's not disturbing me," Misty protested, but her protest fell on deaf ears. And she felt like her recurring dream had suddenly came back clearly to her, and she remembered that day. He didn't hit her, Nero Yakamori did. Seto obviously loved her too much to do that. Jeremiah had called police to take him away because her mom felt bothered.

"No! Don't!" Misty requested but was ignored.

* * *

The police then grabbed Seto and arrested him.

"What is the big idea?!" Seto exclaimed.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed startled.

"You're under arrest for harassment," the officer announced and read him his rights.

"Harassment?! I didn't do anything?!" Seto protested.

"One of the wedding guests felt threatened by your presence." Seto was thoroughly angered her mother would do this to him. The officer then put him in the cruiser and took him a few blocks to the jail and booked him. Sophia and Mokuba were upset and angry. They waited for the wedding to be over.

Inside the church, Misty was angry with her mother and Jeremiah for arresting Seto and ignoring her, but she focused on the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, and later she congratulated her friend Josh and his new wife Stefania. Then her mother, brother, and her exited the church. Misty saw them coming up to her.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE MY BROTHER ARRESTED? HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" Mokuba demanded.

"He was making me uncomfortable, and I didn't want him causing pain to Misty. She still struggles with her memory sometimes," Misty's mother explained. Misty growled at her.

"What did I say about patronizing me?" Misty demanded angrily.

"That's stupid! And we showed you the tape!" Mokuba protested.

"Tape?" Misty asked incredulously. Mokuba immediately pulled out his phone and showed her the tape. Misty gasped as she watched it and looked at her mother and brother. "How could you keep this from me!"

"Sweetheart, you had a tough time with your memories," her mother explained. "We were reintroducing your memories a little at a time so it didn't overwhelm you. We figured having them would overwhelm you, and we didn't want them at a wedding of someone they don't know, plus he was causing a scene."

"He was overjoyed to see me!" Misty snapped.

"Yeah! He wasn't threatening anybody," Sophia agreed.

"We have to go now," her mother said changing the subject and pulled her away. Misty was sullen and upset and went with her mom and brother, and they went to get something to eat and relax a little while before the reception. Misty refused to talk to them, but did enjoy the reception; it was so beautiful. Later, they went home, and Misty still refused to speak to her mother. She went to her room, shut the door, and changed. She put on her music, and was browsing online, and then she got an idea.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mokuba and Sophia had tried to help explain to the officers about his brother, but there wasn't much he could do right now. They then went to explore a little and returned to the room.

* * *

Seto was upset and angry that he was yet again in jail, for something stupid. He couldn't believe her mom would do that to him and hinder him from being with her, even after he proved his innocence. He understood that their friend didn't want wedding crashers ruining the wedding, but he was content to wait for them outside. He probably could bail himself out, but he wanted to save the money they had saved to live here in San Antonio.

" _Please grant me a miracle… I need Misty and my babies reunited with me, please!" Seto prayed silently._

" _A plan is cooking. Be patient," an ethereal voice told him._ Seto was relieved and awed to have had such a quick response. He smiled and decided to trust and wait to see what this plan was.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter and another reminder to review! New reviews= immediate release of new chapters once finished! And yes, there WILL be not one, but TWO lemons in the next update. (Pivotal moment ahead!)


	17. Blissful Secrets and Halloween

**A/N:** Hello my dear fans! It sure has been a long while since I've updated, but I was working hard on this chapter update (which I honestly thought wouldn't get done) and I've FINALLY finished it, just in time for the TWO-YEAR anniversary (of this version)! TWO YEARS! Can you believe it? *throws blue and silver confetti*

Anyways, this monster chapter was practically the size of Texas (52 PAGES/NEARLY 29,000 WORDS), and I was so determined to finish it and honor my promise. (I had split it into two, but I saw people were skipping ch. 17. I wouldn't want y'all to miss a single moment.)

I would also like to thank my ever-loyal patron james. collins. 77770 for his idea to have "Love Story" by Taylor Swift play in the background at a sweet moment in this story, and for his review. I would also like to thank crimsonangel315 for their review. Both of y'all ensured the release of this monstrously wonderful update immediately upon finishing.

Also, we have not only one lemon in this chapter, we have TWO, and they are "Spah-cy!" As per usual I have marked the sections where they begin and end so you may skip them if you wish to not read them for whatever reason, and yes, they are graphic, and use clinical, anatomical terms.

And as usual, don't forget to review! New reviews= new chapters released as soon as they are done.

Enjoy!

* * *

Mokuba and Sophia had no idea what to do to get Seto out of prison. They tried reasoning with the guards, but to no avail, and Seto had told them not to use their money for bail, considering it would take a big chunk out of the money they had carefully rationed to get settled here until he could fix everything, and until after the babies were born, but it looked like soon they wouldn't have much of a choice. They all wished that Misty's family would allow her to come down here to visit, but that was a pipe dream at best. Seto was so miserable that he'd been having horrific nightmares the last three days, which caused him to wake up screaming and sobbing.

 _He dreamed that he was stuck here in this prison, for years, on some stupid charge, with no visit from Misty, like her family had convinced her to move on and forget about him. And then one day, after Mokuba and Sophia had finished their visit with their adult son, whom they had decided to name Vincent and who had Mokuba's thick black hair, Sophia's jade green eyes, glasses, and a body that was similar to his and Mokuba's lean, tall figures, he had two other visitors: a young man who looked just like him but with glasses and a shy personality; and a beautiful young woman who looked almost exactly like Misty with long, wavy chocolate brown hair, fierce yet soft brown eyes, a petite yet curvy body and a fiery but sweet personality, just like her mother. Was this Josh and Angelbella, his children?_

" _Hello daddy," the young woman greeted._

" _Hi dad," the young man greeted._

" _Josh? Angelbella? Is that you?" Seto asked. Josh and Angelbella nodded. Seto was stunned._

" _I can't believe you're here!" Seto exclaimed and felt such pain in his heart that his eyes welled with tears. He missed his children's lives!_

" _Yes, we are. We wanted to meet you," Josh told him._

" _Where's your mother?" Seto asked, wondering where his beloved Misty was._

" _She's at work right now," Josh answered._

" _Where is she working?" Seto asked. "Why hasn't she come to see me?"_

" _She really hasn't had time… and she is working at a clinic," Angelbella answered._

" _That's bullshit!" Seto exclaimed outraged. "Why has she forgotten me?!" His heart broke more and he sobbed. WHY?!_

" _Grandma and Grandpa made her forget, even though she really wanted to remember you and come to you, and she had to take two jobs a few weeks after we were born to support us. Any moment she had in which she was off, she was exhausted, but she would spend that time with us. Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Wes kept telling us not to come, that you were dangerous, but we decided to sneak away and come get you out," Josh explained and Angelbella showed him the bail receipt. He hugged them tightly and sobbed against them. He couldn't believe Misty's family would do that to her, and hinder his own children from coming to see him all these years. He felt them hug him tightly._

" _What really happened?" Angelbella asked softly. Seto took a few minutes to compose himself, and explained everything, and Josh and Angelbella shared his anger._

" _Let's go home daddy," Angelbella offered. Seto nodded and followed them out after changing. They took him to their car, and Angelbella drove while Seto sat in the front seat, and Josh sat in the back._

" _Tell me everything! Please!" Seto begged. Angelbella and Josh explained that they were in high school, and were in the top of their class and were about to go to college in a few months, and Josh was going to be a math major with a minor in technology, and Angelbella was going to be an arts major, and she was extremely popular, but thanks to Misty, her grandparents, and her Uncle Wes, she had remained grounded and humble. She also told him about their frugal childhood and how hard Misty had to work to give them everything they had. Angelbella explained that Misty had gone to school again to get new skills, while balancing her main job, her family, and responsibilities, and got a job in the clinic she works now, working 12 hours a day, about 6 days a week._

" _Tell me more about your mother! Did she marry someone else? Is she happy?" Seto inquired eagerly._

" _No, she's not really happy. She tries to show us she is, but it's a façade. She is so exhausted, she's aged twice as fast, and she hasn't wanted to be with anyone else. She's lonely, and I think she pines for you. Her memory of you is fuzzy, but she knows your name, and we've seen her staring at pictures of you wistfully and then she looks away sadly. She's been so stretched thin, she's gotten sick, but she can't stop, or she thinks our world will shatter if she does. I don't know how much more she can take. We need you in our lives to help us," Angelbella described despondently. Seto sighed gloomily. His beloved Misty had essentially turned into a work zombie just like he had been before he met her, and she was exhausted, miserable, and sick, all because her family kept her apart from him and she had to work to support their children as a single mother. It was good her parents and brother did help take care of Josh and Angelbella though._

" _Mom should be getting off soon," Josh chimed in. Angelbella took Seto to their house, and showed him around. An hour later, a haggard, zombie-like Misty walked into the house with wrinkled light blue scrubs, panda-like dark circles under her zombie-like chocolate eyes, a pale complexion, and her hair in a messy, silvery with hints of chocolate brown ponytail. Seto gasped in horror as he saw how aged she looked for a woman who was about 47 years old. She looked closer to 60 or even 70._

" _Misty!" Seto exclaimed. For the first time in what looked like a long time, Misty looked…alive as she heard him say her name._

" _Seto? Seto Kaiba?" Misty asked and looked at him. She was immediately swept into his embrace and she held him tight and then fell limp in his arms. The combination of her stress, exhaustion, illness, depression, and now joy had overwhelmed her heart._

" _MAMA!" Angelbella and Josh screamed in horror and were frantically trying to revive her._

" _MISTY!" Seto exclaimed in horror and heartbreak, feeling his world shatter as he held her tight, and then he felt his chest tighten and he was gasping for air._

" _DAD!" Angelbella and Josh screamed and were even more frantic, starting CPR on both of them._

 _Seto woke up screaming and sobbing._

" _Calm down! It was just a nightmare! It was just a nightmare! It was just a nightmare!" Seto's inner self kept repeating, hoping to help calm him down. Seto took deep breaths and eventually calmed down knowing he was only here about three days, and Misty would fight to see him, hopefully soon, and that she wouldn't allow the events in his nightmare to happen like that. That logic comforted him, but the nightmare still left him a bit shook up. He didn't understand why his subconscious would come up with such a scenario._

" _It's probably just the pain of her family keeping her from you run amok," Seto's inner self pointed out._

" _That makes sense, but it still sucks," Seto griped._

" _I know it does," his inner self concurred empathetically._

" _Please, God, if you're up there, send her to me, again." Seto prayed._

" _I already told you, a plan is cooking. Be patient!" the ethereal voice commanded in his head. Seto sighed partly with relief, partly with exasperation in that response. He just wished it wouldn't take so long._

* * *

October 25th, Seto's Birthday (Later that morning…)

Mokuba and Sophia had gone to Mi Tierra, and were astounded by how colorful and vibrant it was, and the food was pretty good too. Plus, since they had a bakery, they decided to get some pan dulce (sweet bread) in a paper bag, a to-go coffee with cream and sugar, and a little piece of cake in a Styrofoam container that they had also put in the bag, then took the bus to the detention center, as they had been doing for the last three days, and were taken to the visitor's center. Seto was soon brought into the visitor's room and sat across Mokuba and Sophia at the thick, glass-paneled wall, and picked up the phone.

"Hey Mokuba, Hey Sophia," Seto greeted with a small smile and noticed the white paper bag and a to-go coffee cup from Mi Tierra. "What's that?" Seto asked curiously. Sophia then got the cake out of the bag and opened the Styrofoam container, revealing the chocolate cake with sprinkles and handed it to the guard to give him, along with the coffee cup with the creamer and sugar. The guard then went into the inmate side of the visitor's room and handed Seto the Styrofoam container and the to-go coffee cup with the cream and sugar, and a plastic fork from the cafeteria.

"Happy Birthday Seto," Mokuba and Sophia greeted. Seto smiled a little.

"Thank you Mokuba, thank you Sophia," Seto replied as he took the cake and coffee. He wasn't much for sweets, but he would definitely make an exception today. He opened the Styrofoam container with the cake and saw it was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and beaded sprinkles. He smiled and speared the cake with the fork and savored each bite, and washed it down with the coffee he mixed to his preference. This was heaven. Mokuba and Sophia smiled seeing him enjoy his birthday cake and coffee, and they ate the pan dulce they had picked for themselves. After they finished their pan dulce, Mokuba had another surprise for Seto. To cheer Seto up a little more, Mokuba decided to have a duel with him through the glass, just for fun. Seto was glad that the guards didn't take his deck; it was an extension of his person, and they figured it was harmless enough for him to have to occupy himself with.

Seto happily dueled with Mokuba while Sophia watched fascinated, as she sat in the chair beside Mokuba. A guard had walked up and saw them dueling and chuckled a little bit and came into the visitor's room on the inmate side.

"What's the ETA on you finishing that game of yours, Kaiba?" the guard asked.

"Why?" Seto asked, a brunet eyebrow slowly climbed over his cobalt eye.

"Someone's waiting for you," the guard announced. Seto's eyebrow climbed higher in curiosity, and Mokuba and Sophia turned to look at the guard curiously as they heard the guard's voice through the receiver. They were just as surprised by this other visitor and wondered who it could be.

"Someone's waiting for me?" Seto echoed incredulously. He wasn't expecting any other visitors, unless somehow Misty's family had brought her there, which was unlikely. "Whom?"

"It's a surprise, but hurry up and finish the game. You're getting out of here," the guard announced.

"I am?" Seto asked incredulously. "Mokuba? You didn't use the rationed money to bail me out, did you?" Seto asked Mokuba.

"No, he didn't, but the person waiting for you did," the guard confirmed.

"Seto, we can duel later, let's clean up," Mokuba suggested and they picked up their cards and put them in their deck boxes.

"I wonder who it is," Sophia piped up.

"I don't know, but we owe a million thanks to whoever it is who got me out of here," Seto replied.

Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia then followed the guard out of the visitor's room. Mokuba threw the empty bag and coffee cup away, and went with Seto to get the rest of his personal effects and clothes. After Seto changed, the guard led them towards the lobby, and when the guard opened the door Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gasped and their eyes went as wide as saucers, as they saw who was waiting for them, sitting on a bench in a pool of sunshine peeking through some blinds that gave an ethereal glow to the person's back. It was MISTY! And she was BY HERSELF, listening to some music on an iPod and singing softly along to Josh Groban's "My Heart Was Home Again."

Misty glanced up a moment when she noticed that they were staring at her. She smiled and then turned off her iPod and slowly got up and put her iPod in her purse. As she was doing that, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia instantly strode down the hallway to the bench and stood in front of her. This couldn't be real! However, they discovered it was indeed real.

"Misty! You're really here! Alone!" they exclaimed happily.

"Yep!" Misty replied with a wide smile.

"But, how?" Seto asked as he realized she risked a LOT to come here, by herself, and bail him out. He knew her family wouldn't have let her drive, and they wanted her to stay home, where she would be "safe."

"I called and got a Lyft and the driver brought me here. Mokuba and Sophia messaged me and told me where exactly you were. They didn't know about my plan. The Lyft driver didn't want to leave me here, but I insisted," Misty answered.

"Where did you get the money to bail me out?" Seto inquired.

"I had money saved up in my account from when I suppose I worked with you. Before I came here, I called to find out how much it would cost to bail you out and I went to the bank the last couple days to make sure I had enough to get you out and to do what I wanted to do," Misty explained.

"What is it that you wanted to do?" Seto asked, his curiosity piqued.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Misty replied coyly. Seto smiled and hugged her on the side and held her.

"May I rub your belly?" Seto requested. He didn't want to freak her out, but he did want to feel their babies moving. Misty nodded in consent and Seto put his hands on her belly and felt HIS babies moving and smiled in awe. Mokuba and Sophia also took a turn feeling Misty's belly and feeling their future niece and nephew moving. Sophia also let Misty touch her belly and feel her nephew moving. Misty smiled in delight.

"This is the best birthday I've had since I was a child," Seto remarked. Misty was actually a bit surprised to learn that it was Seto's birthday today.

"Today's your birthday?" Misty asked in surprise. Seto nodded with a smile. Misty tried to search her memory to determine if he or Mokuba had told her before that today was Seto's birthday, but she couldn't remember. "Happy Birthday," Misty replied and burned the date into her memory. His birthday was about to get a lot more special.

"Thank you, my love," Seto answered and kissed her. Misty blushed as he kissed her, but kissed back. Mokuba and Sophia smiled. "Let's get out of here," Seto suggested.

"Totally!" Mokuba and Sophia agreed enthusiastically. Seto immediately grabbed Misty's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers and kissed her hand. Misty blushed again and leaned against him as they exited the jail and Misty indicated that she wanted to get onto a bus.

"Where are you going?" Seto inquired curiously.

"I already told you, 'that's for me to know and you to find out'," Misty reminded them. When a bus came by and stopped at the stop, Misty boarded the bus and whispered in the driver's ear where she wanted to go, and the bus driver told her which bus to board. "Thank you," Misty bade and got off the bus and diligently looked for the bus they were supposed to ride. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia were watching her curiously. Misty cheerfully sat on the bus bench with Sophia as their guys stood behind the bench. As they waited for the bus, they watched cars pass. It was a nice day, so some drivers and passengers had their windows down. One car passed with its windows down, and it happened to be Taylor Swift's "Love Story" on the radio. Misty smiled, it was a perfect song right now for what she had planned. When their bus came, Misty boarded with Sophia, Mokuba and Seto behind them. Misty paid her fare, while Sophia, Mokuba, and Seto inserted their monthly passes and sat on the benches near the front of the bus. Seto sat with Misty with his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close on one bench, while Mokuba and Sophia mirrored the gesture on the opposite bench. When Misty saw they were by City Hall on Nueva St., she pulled the cord, and they got off.

"Why are we going to City Hall?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"You'll see," Misty answered as she held Seto's hand and started leading the way when the crosswalk allowed them to cross. Mokuba followed holding Sophia's hand. They thought it was odd she really wanted to go to City Hall. Misty then led them inside and found the map of the building next to the marquee with the floor and room numbers listed. Misty glanced at the map and marquee for a moment and found where she was supposed to go. When they got there, Misty led them to the proper line.

"What are we here for?" Seto asked. Misty turned and gave him a "Really?" look with sharp, chocolate eyes.

"…Ok, I guess we'll wait and see," Seto relented.

The line moved at a steady pace, and within 10 minutes they got to the front.

"How can I help you?" the clerk had asked her.

"I would like to get two marriage licenses please," Misty requested. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gasped and stared at her.

"Two?" the clerk asked confused.

"Yes, one for me and my fiancé here, and another for his brother and his fiancée," Misty clarified. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gaped at her.

"Alright. Does everyone have their ids?" the clerk asked. Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia got their passports out and showed the clerk. The clerk looked over the passports and nodded in approval. They had met the age requirements, and their paperwork was in order.

"Ok the fee is $132 for both, and have y'all completed the premarital course, Twogether in Texas?" the clerk asked.

"No," Misty answered, and Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia shook their heads.

"Alright, you will have to have a 72-hour minimum waiting period before y'all can get married, and it's good for 30 days before the license expires and is nullified," the clerk explained.

"Not a problem," Misty agreed and paid the fee. The clerk then got the two marriage licenses and went through the paperwork signing process for them for Misty and Seto, and Sophia and Mokuba in order to obtain them, and then presented them with the licenses in a tan document envelope. Misty then got information on a Justice of the Peace/judge to marry them, knowing that her minister friends would tell her family and ruin her plan. As they exited the building, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba were ready to barrage her with questions. They were utterly shocked that she had done this.

"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED?!" The three of them exclaimed collectively.

"Yep," Misty answered with a smile.

"WHEN?!" They demanded.

"I thought Halloween would be a perfect time to get married," Misty answered nonchalantly.

"That's in six days!" Seto pointed out.

"Oh good, you can count," Misty teased wickedly.

"How are we going to pull it off in six days?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, we call the Justice of the Peace or the judge, and a photographer; make arrangements to get married somewhere on the Riverwalk, probably on Marriage Island; we get ready; then get married; then go to dinner and check into separate rooms at the hotel y'all are staying in; and enjoy our wedding night," Misty explained breezily. She had it all planned out over the last 3 days. She was still upset that her family had kept her and Seto separate. True, they meant well, but she needed him, and so did the babies, and he looked like he needed her.

"Why did you get two marriage licenses? I hadn't even proposed to Sophia yet," Mokuba asked.

"Sorry for taking that moment away. I got carried away. You still can propose to her, officially; the marriage license is good for 30 days, so you can get married by Thanksgiving if you still want to use it. I figured you had by now, and the way you two are so in love, I figured it was obvious you were meant to be together, so I figured we could all get married on Halloween," Misty explained. Mokuba and Sophia couldn't stay mad at her. That was actually kind of sweet what she did.

"I wanted to save up and give her a proper ring," Mokuba explained.

"Mokuba, I don't need an expensive ring, I would be happy with any ring you wanted to ask me with," Sophia reassured him.

"You deserve a ring with a real jewel," Mokuba protested.

"That's sweet, baby, but all that matters is that it's coming from the heart," Sophia assured him. Mokuba reluctantly nodded and kissed her and got on one knee.

"Will you marry me Sophia?" Mokuba asked.

"Of course, I will Mokuba!" Sophia exclaimed happily, her jade green eyes shimmering like a forest alight with lightning bugs. Mokuba smiled and kissed her feeling like his soul was propelled to the sky on a rocket.

"Alright, let's have a double wedding on Halloween," Mokuba agreed with a smile. Wow, he couldn't believe all four of them were about to get married on HALLOWEEN, in SIX days! Sophia was giddy with ecstasy knowing that they would be forever bonded together, officially, as a family. Misty and Seto smiled at their joy, and Seto held her close. He was so overjoyed, he felt like he was riding a Blue Eyes White Dragon in the sky with Misty at his side, but… then his joy crashed and hit a wall with an epiphany: what about her family? Her family meant everything to her. He didn't mind having the small, intimate ceremony if it meant he would marry her, but they had originally planned to have a traditional wedding here in San Antonio so her family could be part of it. Why had she planned to get married without them?

"Wait… what about your family?" Seto asked.

"What about them?" Misty asked.

"You don't want them at our wedding?" Seto gasped stunned. "They mean everything to you."

"True, they do, and I love them dearly, but I have a feeling they would stop it," Misty explained.

"But I don't know if it would feel right without them there," Seto protested. As if he needed to be out of favor with her family any worse than he already was.

"I am going to have my family there. You, Mokuba, Sophia, and the babies are my family too," Misty pointed out. Seto smiled. That was a sweet thought.

"I think your parents, brother, the rest of your relatives, and friends will be upset they couldn't be part of it" Seto told her.

"We can have another ceremony with them later, but for now, let's let it be just us," Misty insisted. "We should have been married 5 months ago anyway, and they have kept us apart long enough. The fact is I need you, the babies need you, and you need me."

"You're right," Seto concurred. He was astounded how much thought she had put into this and how serious she was about this plan. He caressed her face and gazed into her feisty chocolate eyes and kissed her softly. "I love you so much," he whispered into her ear.

"I love you too," Misty replied.

"I do have a question though," Seto asked

"Shoot," Misty encouraged.

"Why did you pick Halloween?" Seto asked curiously.

"I've been told it's my favorite holiday, and that does feel true. This month and all the Halloween decorations I've seen make me happy, so why not get married on a day when I already am happy? Also, it's close to your birthday, ergo a belated birthday gift." Misty reasoned.

"How do you follow Christianity and love Halloween?" Seto asked curiously. That was quite a contrary belief system.

"It's not mutually exclusive. Halloween was a big part of my childhood and presently, so it's partly nostalgia, especially when wearing costumes. The other part is that it's a fall festival for the harvest, a kind of Celtic New Year. It's also a day when the living and departed can mingle a little, so it would be nice to feel my grandma and Lulu's presence, along with other dearly departed members, for a short time," Misty explained.

"I see," Seto nodded as he listened.

"Either way it's going to be amazing," Misty declared.

"It sure is," Seto agreed, and Mokuba and Sophia chimed in their agreement.

"Alright, how about we get some lunch here on the Riverwalk?" Misty suggested.

"Yeah! That sounds great!" Mokuba and Sophia exclaimed.

"Sure," Seto agreed with a small smile.

"Alright birthday boy, where do you want to eat?" Misty asked with a playful grin as she pulled up the River Walk Guide website for a listing of all the different restaurants on the Riverwalk on her phone. "There's Italian, Tex-Mex, American, Barbecue, Steaks, French, Seafood, British," Misty described.

"Let's get something Texan or Tex-Mex," Seto suggested. He figured Mokuba and Sophia should have a taste of some good Texan/Tex-Mex food.

"Alright, let's go to CasaRio," Misty suggested and started leading the way. After a hearty lunch and dessert, after which the staff had sung Happy Birthday in their own way to Seto, Misty decided to take Mokuba and Sophia shopping for rings in a few nearby jewelry shops. They looked at the San Antonio website for a list of jewelry stores in the area and they took buses and streetcars to look at the rings that were offered for a reasonable price. The rings were nice, but not quite what they were looking for. Misty looked at the time and realized she had to get home before her mother did from work, plus she and Sophia were quite tired; they had done a lot of walking, and the babies were moving around a bit. She hugged Sophia, Mokuba, and Seto good-bye for now.

"This was the best birthday I've had. Thank you so much. I love you," Seto told Misty as he held her and her belly in his arms. He gingerly rubbed her belly, and Misty had to brace herself onto him as the babies moved in response. Seto smiled happily and Misty moved her shirt up, and Seto kissed her belly. "Daddy loves you two, too," he told his active babies. "You be good for mommy," Seto instructed and gave Misty's belly a gentle pat. The babies continued moving around in response to hearing their daddy.

"Keep the marriage licenses safe," Misty instructed and winced a little at the mild pain her beloved babies were causing from their movements, and the pain in her feet.

"Of course, I will," Seto promised.

"We'll make sure they stay safe too," Sophia and Mokuba promised. Misty smiled.

"Alright, great, I'll be back tomorrow, and we can resume shopping and making arrangements tomorrow," Misty promised.

"Awesome! We'll see you tomorrow!" Mokuba bade.

"Make sure Sophia gets some good rest and make sure you rub her feet and her belly," Misty instructed.

"Oh, I will," Mokuba promised. Sophia blushed hearing the two of them.

"I wish I could do the same for you," Seto told her and caressed her face.

"I know," Misty acknowledged and kissed Seto to placate him. "In time, you'll get to do that too," Misty promised.

"I know," Seto agreed and gave her another kiss. A few minutes later, a Lyft driver picked them up, dropped Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia at the Holiday Inn on Cesar Chavez, and then took Misty home. Misty paid the fare, and thankfully her mom wasn't home yet. She hurried inside and was greeted by an over-excited Shadow and Lucky, who were sniffing her. Shadow was so excited to smell some familiar scents on her, scents that she had not smelled in months. She was wheezing with excitement.

"Yes, I know, I went out. Take it easy baby. Do you smell daddy, Uncle Mokuba, and Aunt Sophia?" Misty asked Shadow, who was wiggling so happily. Her human daddy, uncle, and auntie were here, but not in the house. When Shadow and Lucky were done sniffing her, Misty let them out and fed them, and then started making dinner for herself and her mom. She groaned a little from her aching feet and belly, and couldn't wait to sit down and eat, and relax. Her mom came home and Shadow and Lucky greeted her happily.

"There's my boy! There's my girl!" Misty's mom greeted the dogs and pet them, and then came to the kitchen where Misty was still cooking dinner, stir-fried chicken and spaghetti noodles.

"Hey babe, how was your day?" her mother greeted with a kiss on Misty's cheek.

"It was ok, nothing special, just did my therapy exercises," Misty lied, partially. Part of her therapy did include physical exercises and being around familiar people to help jog her memories.

"Good," her mother replied and looked over the dinner to see how much time was left before it was done. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. She put some chicken and spaghetti noodles in a bowl and added a vinaigrette dressing to her noodles. Misty could feel Josh and Angelbella moving more as if they were hungry.

"Hold on," Misty told Josh and Angelbella as she put her serving in a bowl and drizzled some Italian dressing on her chicken and spaghetti noodles and poured herself a glass of iced tea.

"How are Josh and Angelbella?" Misty's mom asked her as she ate on the couch in front of the TV.

"Active," Misty answered and winced a bit. Her mother nodded in understanding.

"That's natural," her mother responded.

"Hopefully they'll calm down after dinner," Misty replied as she sat down with her food and iced tea. Even as she ate, Josh and Angelbella were still pretty active. When she finished eating, she rinsed her bowl and put it in the sink and cleaned up the remains that were on the stove and went upstairs to relax. She got out her foot massager and got some pain relief lotion. She rubbed the lotion on her feet and her achy joints and turned the massager on and melted in relaxation.

" _Would've been nice if Seto could massage our feet and belly, like Mokuba is doing for Sophia," her inner self griped._

" _I know… and I know he'd love to be doing that too," Misty figured._

" _Six more days and he can," her inner self pointed out. Misty smiled fondly as she thought about it, and she got butterflies. She also couldn't believe today was his birthday either. She saved it in her calendar on her phone so she'd never forget it. Sure, she was a savant for remembering birthdays, but she wanted to be absolutely sure she'd never forget when his birthday was. She also added Sophia and Mokuba's birthdays to her calendar so she wouldn't forget theirs either._

After a few minutes on the massager, Misty turned it off and put it away and settled in to watch some TV and do some web browsing to help Sophia and Mokuba find a reasonably priced wedding ring set. She recalled Sophia had said that she wanted a silver band with a ruby earlier that day and decided to see what kind of rings she could find. She looked at the James Avery website to see what they had. They had nice gemstone rings that would work as a wedding band for Sophia, and they also had beautiful regular wedding rings, both of which were pretty reasonably priced. While perusing around and doing a filtered search for ruby rings, Misty found a ring with a slim, beaded silver band with a ruby gemstone flanked by two small hearts on either side of the ruby. She shared the link with Sophia on her Facebook messenger and Sophia immediately sent her approval.

"That's pretty, and a good price!" Sophia wrote back. "Let's get that one."

"Ok! ^_^" Misty wrote back.

"Is there one for Mokuba?" Sophia inquired.

"Hang on, I'll look," Misty answered and looked at the regular wedding bands. Sure enough, she found a matching silver, beaded band that looked almost exactly like Sophia's, save for the ruby gemstone and hearts. Misty sent the link to her.

"That's perfect," Sophia approved.

"Mokuba: Hey Misty, those are awesome rings!" Mokuba chimed in, borrowing Sophia's phone to send his approval.

"Alright, I'll order them. We can pick them up tomorrow," Misty planned and got their ring sizes.

"Alright. What time are you coming?" Sophia asked.

"I'll leave around 9:00 and take the bus over there, or you can meet me at Ingram Mall," Misty suggested.

"Mokuba: we don't know which buses to take to get there," Mokuba responded. Misty then sent the link for the VIA bus service to help them plan their trips.

"Go to trip planner and tell them where you want to go. They'll tell you which buses and at which times," Misty instructed.

"Mokuba: thanks! This is super helpful! We can see more of San Antonio tomorrow!"

"Indeed," Misty agreed.

"Ok, so we're looking at the bus schedule and it says if we leave around 9:00 a.m., we should get there to that mall about 10:00 a.m.," Sophia explained as they checked out the itinerary.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the bus stop across the street from the JCPenney's," Misty instructed.

"See you then!" Sophia replied.

"Mokuba: oh, btw, Seto wants to talk with you," Mokuba wrote.

"Tell him he can add me to Skype or he can talk with me on here," Misty replied.

"Mokuba: Okie dokie," Mokuba replied. As soon as he finished with that, Misty got a notification of an add request from Seto on Skype, and on Facebook. She immediately accepted and got a message from Seto on Facebook.

"Hey my love," Seto wrote.

"Hi love What's up?" Misty responded with a smile, feeling a bit giddy.

"I wanted to see how you and the babies were doing tonight, and let you know you are on my mind," Seto wrote. It was strange how he was feeling as giddy as a gaggle of teenagers about to see their favorite band in concert.

" _Well, it's not really that strange; you haven't seen her in quite a while, and you had quite the reunion today," Seto's inner self pointed out._

" _That's true," Seto agreed as he waited for her response._

"Well, I'm tired and the babies are quite active tonight, and didn't settle down even with dinner, nor with me relaxing," Misty answered.

"I'm sorry honey," Seto wrote back.

"You should be, you put them there, lol" Misty teased. Seto chuckled and sent "lol" and a kiss emoji. Misty smiled and sent a kiss emoji back. "At least we can see each other again tomorrow," Misty added to cheer them both up.

"Yeah, I can't wait," Seto responded cheerfully. Considering he'd been without her for 5 months, he was willing to happily take whatever time with her he was given until they were married and would be almost always at each other's sides. Misty smiled.

"Me too. Do you have a ring for the wedding?" Misty asked. If they were going to get rings tomorrow for Mokuba and Sophia, they may as well get one for him too if he didn't have one.

"Oh, yes, I have one my love," Seto assured her.

"That's good," Misty replied. "Is there anything else on your mind?"

"I just wish I could hold you and see you," Seto lamented.

"I know. I wish I could cuddle you or go on video chat with you, but I don't want mom to catch me. At least we can see and hold each other in the morning," Misty responded.

"That's true. I can't wait. I love you. Rest well and sweet dreams," Seto bade with a kiss emoji.

"I love you too, and you rest well and sweet dreams for you too," Misty bade with a kiss emoji

"Oh, believe me, I'll definitely have sweet dreams tonight," Seto promised. Misty sent a smile and they both got off their messenger. Misty ordered the rings and arranged for a pickup at the store for the next day and then relaxed and went to bed.

Meanwhile, in the hotel room, Seto lay back on his bed with his head cradled in both hands and he sighed contently. He had reunited with his love, and they were about to be married soon. His heart raced wildly knowing she was going to officially and legally be his partner forever. She was risking and sacrificing so much to do this. He appreciated it, but knew she probably wanted her family to be there. Her family was going to be so upset she did this, especially without them present, but he also knew that they had been keeping them apart out of fear of him hurting her and the babies, so he didn't feel TOO guilty. Right now, he was too happy to care. He never really enjoyed celebrating his birthdays, nor Halloween, but it was different now; he had a reason to look forward to them now.

* * *

The next morning…

Once her mother left for work, Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia got showered and ready to catch their buses to Ingram Park Mall, and once they arrived at the bus stop and carefully but quickly crossing Wurzbach, they greeted each other happily. Seto immediately wrapped his arms around Misty from the side and kissed her enthusiastically. He missed her last night, and even though he knew he'd see her this morning, the distance stung. Misty was surprised at first, but she kissed back eagerly.

"Someone's happy to see me," she observed playfully. Seto smiled at her and caressed her face.

"Damn right I am," Seto agreed. Misty smiled.

"I'm glad to see you, Mokuba, and Sophia too," Misty replied and then gave Mokuba and Sophia as best a hug she could manage.

"You should've seen him last night, he was so over the moon as you talked with him. He was practically running to the bus stop this morning. Sophia and I could barely keep up," Mokuba informed Misty. Misty beamed and chuckled.

"What? I missed you. We've been apart for so long except for yesterday and when I saw you before that wedding, and I couldn't wait to spend more time with you," Seto replied nonchalantly. Misty smiled wider.

"You are so sweet," Misty complimented him and felt the twins moving. "Josh and Angelbella are saying good morning."

"Hello my active little children," Seto greeted and rubbed Misty's belly. Josh and Angelbella moved eagerly, making Misty wince. "Ok, calm down, calm down," Seto tried to tell them. Eventually, they calmed enough so Misty could walk. Seto held Misty's hand, while Mokuba held Sophia's. They browsed through the mall, particularly in Misty's favorite shops and some other shops that Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia wanted to check out before going to James Avery to pick up the rings. They stood in line with their ticket and browsed the catalogs while they waited. When they approached the five-foot wooden counter to a cheerful brunette woman in her 30s wearing a nice button-up blouse, black slacks, and a silver-engraved nametag that read Lucy.

"Hi, how can I help you?" Lucy asked.

"Hi, I'm here for a pickup for Misty Robinson," Misty replied as she showed the email with her order number.

"Ah ok," Lucy replied as she looked up the order number and found the location of her order. Lucy opened the drawer and rifled through the plastic bags containing the jewelry, found Misty's order, and brought the red velvet-lined "stage" to present it to them. Lucy set the "stage" down and emptied the bags onto stage. The rings shone brightly under the bright lights, and Mokuba and Sophia picked them up and admired them.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Sophia gasped as she admired her ruby, beaded silver band with the hearts flanking the ruby.

"This is such a nice band, and it shines so nicely," Mokuba agreed.

"Oh yes, we take great pride in that," Lucy agreed with a smile. "How about y'all try them on to make sure they fit?" Mokuba and Sophia nodded and tried them on their left ring fingers. Of course, it was a perfect fit. "That's excellent! They look good on y'all. So, when is the wedding?" Lucy asked to make conversation.

"Halloween," Misty, Sophia, Seto and Mokuba answered together.

"Wow that's coming up really soon. I bet that will be exciting," Lucy predicted.

"Oh yes it will be," Misty answered with a smile. It still made her proud that she set the wedding up on her favorite holiday, and it felt so rebellious. Mokuba and Sophia took off their rings and Lucy wiped them clean and put them in the fabric pouch and the signature rust-orange box with the gold James Avery candelabra logo. Lucy rang up a polishing kit to go with the rings and put the box and the cleaning kit in an ivory James Avery bag with red tissue paper. Misty put it in her big purse for safekeeping for now and thanked Lucy for her help before they left to grab a bite for lunch. They got a couple of Japanese to-go boxes and some drinks from Sarku Japan in the food court, and shared with their loves.

"Wow this is pretty filling," Sophia and Mokuba remarked.

"It sure is. It's pretty good price for this much food. It's one of my favorite food places here in the food court," Misty pointed out.

"It's also not bad of a taste. Not quite like home, but it'll do," Seto observed.

"Yeah," Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia agreed as they ate, sometimes teasing each other with the food. When they finished and washed up in the restroom, they resumed their shopping and spending time with each other until it was time for Misty to beat her mother home. They walked down to the bus stop, and Seto sighed heavily and he held her in a bear hug from behind for a good, lingering moment and gave her a passionate kiss to show how much he was going to miss her tonight. He also rubbed her rippling belly and told Josh and Angelbella to be good for their mommy.

"I'm going to miss you three," Seto whispered in Misty's ear.

"I know honey, but at least we can spend more time together tomorrow. We have a lot of errands to do tomorrow downtown, so I'll be heading there tomorrow," Misty bade and handed Sophia the James Avery bag. Sophia stuffed it into her purse and held Mokuba's hand.

"Thank you, Misty, for getting us the rings. I can't wait to wear it," Sophia told her with a hug.

"Yeah, thank you so much Misty," Mokuba agreed and also hugged her happily. "I'm so glad we got the rings now. What's next tomorrow?"

"Sophia, do you have a dress to wear?" Misty asked. Sophia shook her head. It was going to be tough to find a pretty wedding dress that would accommodate her growing, belly.

"Ok, we'll find something tomorrow, and we need to get a judge or a minister, put an order in for some flowers, and get a photographer," Misty listed. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia nodded in understanding. Speaking of dress, Misty was going to have to try on that silvery dress in her closet to make sure it still fit and would accommodate her belly. "Alright, what time should we meet tomorrow? 11:00? Noon?"

"11:00, Seto Mokuba and Sophia agreed unanimously.

"Alright 11:00 it is," Misty agreed. "Alright, I'll see y'all tomorrow," Misty bade and saw her bus come by, with Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia's bus coming up right behind hers. Misty boarded, showed her pass, and took a seat near the front while Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia boarded their bus. They rode the buses home and Misty walked up the street with her purchases. At least today was a little easier than yesterday. She sat down for a little while, did a few chores, and worked on dinner, and later relaxed while chatting with Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia for a bit. She did have a delayed response for a few minutes while she tried on the silvery halter-collared, sweetheart neckline, nearly-backless, gem embedded, wedding gown that had a white and icy blue ombre under-layer skirt, and detachable silver and icy blue chiffon "wings" that encircled her wrists and buttoned to the collar of the gown. On her left side at the waist, there was an icy blue rhinestone star clip that marked where the silvery layer of the dress split to reveal the white and icy blue ombre under-layer skirt. She tried on the magical dress and struggled with the invisible silver zipper on the side seam just a little, but managed to get it up all the way. She took a deep breath to ensure it was comfortable, and thankfully, it was only slightly tight around her baby bump.

" _Oh, thank God!" Misty thought relieved that her dress still fit ok. She looked in her jewelry box for a necklace to complement the gown, and she was deciding between her starburst necklace or the Blue Eyes White Dragon._

" _Is this really even a question? Look who you're getting married to- the keeper of the Blue Eyes White Dragons, plus you look like the Queen of the Blue Eyes White Dragons," her inner self retorted._

" _Okay Blue Eyes White Dragon Necklace it is," Misty agreed and tried it on and looked at her reflection in her mirror and beamed; it looked perfect._ All she needed was silver shoes, her hair done, makeup, and her veil and it would be perfect. She quickly got her dress off and put in its garment bag along with the necklace, and changed into something comfortable.

"Misty? My love? Are you there?" Seto had written when he didn't hear from her.

"Sorry honey, I was trying on my wedding dress to make sure it still fit," Misty replied.

"Oh ok. Did it still fit?" Seto asked.

"It was just slightly tight around my baby bump, but I can make it work for our wedding," Misty answered.

"I bet you looked stunning in it," Seto predicted. Misty smiled.

"Yeah. Wait until I have makeup and hair done. It'll knock your socks off," Misty replied.

"I can't wait to see it," Seto answered with a smile emoji. Misty sent a smile and kiss emoji back.

"Me either. Well, I better get some rest. We've got another big day of planning tomorrow," Misty bade.

"Ok love. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. Good night. I love you, and our babies. Sweet dreams," Seto bade.

"I love you too. I can't wait either. Sweet dreams to you too," Misty bade with another kiss emoji before logging off and going to bed. Seto also logged off and went to bed with another smile plastered on his face.

* * *

The next day, Misty took the bus downtown and delegated some responsibilities to Mokuba and Seto to take care of while she and Sophia went shopping in Market Square for a makeshift wedding dress. Seto and Mokuba reluctantly agreed to take care of the tasks Misty delegated to them, but they wanted to stay with Sophia and Misty.

"No, no, we're getting a wedding dress for Sophia. The grooms aren't allowed to see the wedding dress until the bride walks down the aisle," Misty insisted.

"Why?" Seto and Mokuba asked.

"It's tradition. Just please get the tasks done," Misty requested.

"Alright," Seto and Mokuba grumbled and planned their errands along the bus schedule and route. Thankfully it was just four errands; they had to get a judge to officiate the wedding, find a photographer, make reservations for Marriage Island, and order a couple small bouquets. Later, they could make arrangements at the hotel for two separate but adjacent rooms. They went to Riverwalk Floral Design on N. Presa street and ordered a couple small bouquets of white calla lilies, white roses, and blue delphinium, and matching boutonnieres and paid for them. Then they went and made the reservations for Marriage Island on Halloween for noon, and thankfully they didn't have to get a judge since Marriage Island had ministers to perform the ceremony on hand, as well as photographers. Seto and Mokuba paid for the package with the Marriage Island rental, a non-denominational minister since he knew Misty was a Christian, but she didn't identify with any particular branch of Christianity, and an hour-long session with a photographer. It wasn't a bad price for $746.55, for a weekday wedding, and especially since they were nice enough to do a double wedding. Seto and Mokuba also informed them they have the marriage licenses ready to go already. Thankfully it didn't cut into their budget too much, and they were glad they saved a little money with the bouquets and boutonnieres.

" _Plus, she's been paying for a lot of the stuff too," his inner self pointed out. "She paid for Mokuba's and Sophia's rings, lunches, your bail, a bus pass to get here, Lyft rides, and the marriage licenses, and she's shopping for Sophia's wedding dress. This is pretty fair to take care of the flowers and ceremony," his inner self added._

" _That's true," Seto nodded. He was so glad that she had saved the money he paid her for working with him to help with all this stuff._

"I'm so glad we have it all squared away now. How about we check out the Alamo and maybe the Ripley's across the plaza while we wait for them to call us?" Mokuba suggested.

"Sure, we can do that," Seto agreed and they walked to the Alamo and enjoyed walking along the grounds soaking up the history presented in the Alamo, and took pictures. When they finished, they went across the plaza to the Madame Toussand's Wax Museum and Ripley's Haunted Adventure and had a blast.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Misty and Sophia were browsing through the racks at Goodwill hoping to find a wedding dress or at least a dress pretty enough to wear to the wedding, but they didn't find anything that would fit Sophia.

"Don't despair, we'll find something," Misty reassured her. Sophia nodded and continued to enjoy shopping with her. This was just as fun as the last time they went dress shopping. Sophia wished she could have worn the ice blue gown they had gotten for her as her bridesmaid's dress to use as her wedding dress, but it wouldn't accommodate her growing, pregnant belly. They went to Market Square to see if they could find a dress really cheap. Sophia fell in love with a white, Mexican, halter sundress with beautifully embroidered blue flowers. The dress looked small, but the shopkeeper had assured her it would stretch out and fit and offered her a dressing room to try it on. Misty went in and helped her into the dress and Sophia was amazed at how comfortable it was; the shopkeeper was right- it did stretch to fit.

"You look so pretty! Almost like a brunette Marilyn Monroe with glasses and a Mexican halter dress!" Misty told her. Sophia giggled at the comparison and she felt so pretty and actually kinda sexy. She knew Mokuba would love this and wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her, and it would be easy to get in and out of.

"I love this dress!" Sophia exclaimed.

"Perfect! We'll take it!" Misty exclaimed and then helped her into her normal clothes and held the dress for her and Sophia bought it with some of her money she had saved. She was so happy it was a good price. They then went and looked at tiaras, veils, and some cute shoes, and thankfully one of the shops there in Market Square had them.

"Wow this Market is really cool!" Sophia told Misty. She remembered Misty talking about it when she and Seto came home after Lulu passed away, but experiencing it was so much cooler.

"It sure is. Alright, we got veils, tiaras, shoes, and your dress. Anything else you want to look at while we're here?"

"Sure," Sophia agreed and they continued wandering around both the Farmer's Market shops and the shops in El Mercado. Afterwards, they called Seto and Mokuba and let them know they had stopped at Mi Tierra for lunch. Seto and Mokuba told them to wait there and they would join them. A few minutes later, Seto and Mokuba had arrived at Mi Tierra and they hugged and kissed Misty and Sophia, held them, and rubbed their bellies.

"Hi honey," Misty and Sophia greeted Seto and Mokuba.

"Hi beautiful," Seto and Mokuba greeted back.

"So, did y'all get everything set up?" Misty asked.

"Sure did," Seto said proudly as he showed her the reservation and flowers receipts. Misty looked at them and smiled. "Wow! They actually offered all that? That's great! Saves us time and money having to go all around getting it all taken care of, and that's perfect they were willing to do a double wedding for us without charging extra."

"Yep! We sure got lucky!" Mokuba piped up.

"Indeed," Misty agreed. They then got seated and ordered food and chatted. Seto then paid for the meal and Misty saw that it was time for her to go. Seto sighed heavily. He hated this part. The only thing that made him feel better was knowing they'd chat again tonight and he'd see her again tomorrow.

"Shall we plan what we're going to do tomorrow in our chat tonight? Anything else for the wedding?" Seto asked as he held her close and rubbed her belly.

"No, I think we got it covered. I think tomorrow we can do some more exploring, for fun," Misty replied. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia beamed.

"Sounds fun!" Sophia and Mokuba explained. Misty smiled.

"It sure does. Let's talk about our plans for it tonight; I gotta get home before mom does," Misty replied and gave Seto a kiss and a hug.

"I can hardly wait," Seto told her as he held her. Misty parted after a minute and caught a bus to Ingram, and then to home. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia took their time, and then went back to the hotel and made arrangements to have 2 separate but adjacent rooms. Seto took the other room and paid for it, allowing Mokuba and Sophia some privacy as a couple.

Once again, Misty made it home before her mom, and took care of her chores and dinner while feeling how active Josh and Angelbella were, and was mentally planning activities for them to do tomorrow. It was a good thing her mom would be home later tomorrow night considering she would be visiting her father/Misty's grandfather, so she, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia would have more time together. Saturday, however, she would not be able to spend time with them; she would have a tough time with her plan to get downtown with her mother present, and she and Wes had gotten invited to their longtime friend Danny's birthday/Halloween party. She knew Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia would miss her that day, and she was going to miss them too, so she was going to have to make tomorrow count long enough to hold them until Sunday. She figured she could take them to some of the museums downtown, and if they were up for it, the missions, or maybe the Tower of the Americas and La Villita. She figured the museums including the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Tower, and La Villita would be less exhausting than going to the missions, at least for her and Sophia. When her mom had come home and they had dinner, Misty asked if she could take her and Wes to Danny's house on Saturday for the party, and her mom agreed without hesitation; her mom liked Danny. There were times when Misty was sure that her mom and dad wanted her to end up with Danny, but he made it clear to her since high school that he saw her more as his sister than a romantic partner. Not that it mattered; she belonged with Seto, and Seto was the one who made her happy, and whom God obviously matched her with. She thanked her mom and then went to go relax upstairs and chat with her love while her mother watched TV and played with the dogs.

"So, what is the plan tomorrow?" Seto wrote to her on Facebook Messenger.

"I was thinking we can check out some of the culture. We can check out the museums, the Institute of Texan Cultures, the Tower of Americas, La Villita, and work from there. I figure Mokuba and Sophia can experience some of San Antonio's rich history and culture," Misty explained.

"Sounds like a good plan. Do you think we'll have time for all that tomorrow?" Seto asked curiously.

"Yes. Mom is going to visit grandpa after work and will be home late, so we'll have more time together tomorrow. However, Saturday I can't come," Misty explained. Seto's cobalt eyes widened just a little and he didn't like that she wasn't going to come on Saturday.

"Well at least we get more time tomorrow, but why can't you come Saturday?"

"For one, mom will be around and will hinder me if she knew I was leaving to see you, and secondly, I made plans with Wes to go to my old friend Danny's birthday/Halloween party," Misty explained. Seto sighed to himself. The first part he understood, but hated, and the second part, he felt a little irritated that she was going to spend time with this Danny.

"Ok. We'll miss you, but I'll miss you, Josh and Angelbella the most," Seto told her, and decided to ask who Danny was.

"Who's Danny? How do you know him? Do I have to worry about him? Did you have any feelings for him?" Seto peppered her.

"Your eyes must be glowing green with jealousy," Misty teased as she read his questions. Seto sent a scowl emoji and Misty typed LOL.

"Honey, you've got nothing to worry about with him. He's just an old friend I've known since high school. My family knows him. Yes, I did have a crush on him in high school, but he didn't feel the same way; he saw me as like a little sister and not a romantic partner, and it doesn't matter, I'm marrying YOU," Misty assured him. Seto was relieved, but he still wasn't sure.

"…Ok," Seto responded.

"What?" Misty demanded.

"I still am not sure about him," Seto admitted.

"What are you not sure about?" Misty demanded.

"Your feelings for him, and what if he decides he wants you?" Seto admitted.

"Honey, I'm marrying YOU in about 4 days. He told me he doesn't feel romantic feelings for me. I don't feel romantic feelings for him. I am meant to be YOUR wife and soulmate. The babies and I need YOU, and you need us. He is just an old friend," Misty insisted and sent a gif of someone with a serious face.

"Alright. Thank you, my love," Seto replied and sent a kiss emoji. He felt better.

"You're welcome. Don't get jealous of any guy," Misty commanded

"Ok," Seto responded. "I love you, and the babies."

"We love you too," Misty replied and felt the babies moving a bit more making her wince. "The babies wish you were here. They're moving a lot," Misty informed him.

"I wish you were here, or I was there, too." Seto replied. Misty sent a smile and kiss emoji, and Seto sent one right back. "Well my love, I'll let you rest and relax. Are we meeting at 11:00 tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'll come to the hotel and we can go from there," Misty assured him.

"Ok, sounds good. Good night. I love you. Sweet dreams," Seto bade.

"Good night. I love you too. Sweet dreams," Misty echoed and they logged off.

* * *

The next day, after her mom had left for work, Misty caught the bus to the hotel, where Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia were waiting for her and hugged her. Misty then took them to check out the museums downtown, and they stopped for lunch at Whataburger before going to the Institute of Texan Cultures and getting a history lesson on what life was like for early Texans.

After that, they went and explored the fountains at the base of the Tower of the Americas and decided to have an impromptu, fun and romantic photo shoot set against the gorgeous fountains, capturing each tender and sweet moment with their phones, before riding the elevator to the observation deck at the top. Misty never got tired of seeing the panoramic view of her city at this height, and though Seto had been here before, he enjoyed seeing it again. Mokuba and Sophia were seeing the view with fresh, virgin eyes and thought the view was spectacular. After they finished on the observation deck, they rode the elevator back down, experiencing a little bit of the uncomfortable pressure pop that came from coming down high heights. Misty and Sophia felt their babies kick a bit from the pressure change, which they obviously didn't like. Seto and Mokuba rubbed their loves' bellies to see if that would help calm them down, and eventually the rhythmic ministrations calmed the babies down.

When they had come down to ground level, they realized it was already 4:00. Since Misty had some extra time today, Misty decided to take them to watch a glass-blowing demonstration at Garcia Art Glass. She always enjoyed watching the glass be blown into fantastic, gorgeous artworks. It was so mesmerizing. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia also agreed that it was mesmerizing to watch. When that particular demonstration was done, they looked around the gift shop at the glass creations that were for sale and admired them all. Mokuba bought Sophia a glass bracelet with money he had saved, and Misty and Seto smiled at how excited Sophia got with it. Seto had decided to keep this place in mind for later, when he could get a commission done featuring him and Misty, holding the babies and being overlooked by a Blue Eyes White Dragon, and something else for Mokuba and Sophia and their baby. It was too expensive now, but when he had his money back, he would be excited to commission that.

They got something for dinner, and they still had a bit of time left, so they did the quick, 30-minute ghost tour, especially since it was so close to Halloween. Eventually, the time came to where Misty had to go home now. She rode the streetcar bus with them back to the hotel, and Seto summoned a female Lyft driver to take her home after giving her a hug, kiss, and a belly rub. Mokuba and Sophia hugged her, they all told her that they would miss her tomorrow, and then she went home, and took care of her dogs who were so happy and relieved to see her.

Misty let them out and fed them and played with them and relaxed. She was glad she was able to have as much fun with them as she did today. She then went up to her room and settled down. When her mother came home later that night, she greeted her and lied about her activities for that day. Misty went back to her room with her sweet Shadow and shut the door and was looking for a costume to wear to her friend's party, within her closet. She set out some of her ideas on her bed, but as she stared and pondered at which costume to wear, she kept being drawn to her bright yellow chiffon dress with a pleated overlayer that made her look like a sunny Greek goddess. Then she got an idea. She could be Leto, the Greek goddess of motherhood, and mother to Apollo and Artemis. In order to indicate who she was, she created a paper sun and a paper moon, and glued them to safety pins to pin to the pleated overlayer of her dress. She didn't think people would get her costume right away, so she wrote "Josh/Apollo" on the sun, and "Angelbella/Artemis" on the moon. She also made herself a nametag saying Leto with a fancy, handwritten font using gold metallic markers, and gold glitter glue, and decorated the nametag with hand-drawn, golden, laurel leaves and Greek swirls along the edges. She was actually quite proud of how this came out. She was tired, and then went to bed.

* * *

Saturday, Oct. 29th

Misty woke up to a good morning Facebook message from Seto, and she smiled as she read it.

"Good morning my love. I miss you so much. I hope you have fun at the party. Show me some pictures," Seto wrote in his message.

"Good morning my love. I miss you too, but at least we will see each other tomorrow afternoon, when I can show you pictures from the party. I wish you could be there too, but I don't want mom or Wes to suspect anything and ruin our plans. If you want, you can take Mokuba and Sophia to the other missions or you can go to Rivercenter Mall and go check out the movies, you can go to some of the other museums, the zoo, Brackenridge, The Pearl area," Misty messaged back.

* * *

Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia had decided to take the bus to Lulu's Café to share and eat the massive, cinnamon roll that made the café so famous. Seto remembered when he and Misty came here when they were playing tourist, and how the name Lulu made her sigh heavily, knowing she was about to lose her baby Lulu. He had seen a waiter carrying the ginormous cinnamon roll, and he figured he'd have to come back here and check out that cinnamon roll, and today seemed like a good enough day to do it. Seto ordered it right away, along with some coffee for him and Mokuba, and Sophia ordered some chocolate milk. As the waitress took their order, Seto heard his messenger notification and looked to see who it was. When he saw that it was Misty, he smiled wide.

"Did Misty reply?" Mokuba asked, figuring that's why his brother was smiling wide.

"Yep, and she gave us more suggestions for things to do today," Seto answered.

"Like what?" Sophia asked.

"Well we can check out movies at Rivercenter Mall, go to the missions, see the other museums, go to the zoo, Brackenridge, the missions, or The Pearl area," Seto suggested.

"Hmm, I guess we can go see the missions," Mokuba suggested.

"They sound cool," Sophia agreed.

"Alright, missions it is, and we can see from there," Seto agreed and then messaged her back.

"We'll probably check out the other missions today, after breakfast, here at Lulu's Café. I wish you could be here with us, and I wish we could be at the party with you too, but I understand about not wanting to mess up our plans. What are you dressing as?"

"I'm dressing up as Leto, the Greek goddess of motherhood. She was the mother to Apollo and Artemis. And aww, you're at Lulu's? Are you getting the cinnamon roll to share?"

"Oh yes we are, and that costume sounds great," Seto replied.

"Lucky. That sounds really good right now," Misty replied enviously.

"We'll save you a piece for tomorrow," Seto promised.

"Aww thanks honey. Well, you have fun today. I love you," Misty replied.

"I love you too, and we will, but it would be more fun if you were here," Seto told her.

"I know. At least tomorrow isn't too long," Misty replied.

"Yeah," Seto agreed and they bade each other a "see you tomorrow, I love you." Seto then turned to his brother and Sophia. "We need to cut the cinnamon roll into quarters; Misty said she wanted a piece of it, and I promised we'd keep it for her."

"Ok," Mokuba and Sophia agreed. "Is it really that big? Sophia asked curiously.

"Yes, it is," Seto confirmed. The waitress brought their drinks, and then a few minutes later, brought the ginormous cinnamon roll and some small plates. Seto asked for to-go box, and then unwrapped his silverware and cut the cinnamon roll into quarters, and served Mokuba and Sophia their portions, then himself, and put Misty's portion in the to-go box. Mokuba and Sophia's eyes boggled at how big their portions were, and dug in.

"Mmm! This is so good! I hope I can finish all of this!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Me too!" Sophia and Seto agreed.

They savored each bite, paid for their food and drink, caught a bus to their hotel, put the cinnamon roll in Seto's room, and then caught the bus again towards Mission Trail to go visit the missions. Afterwards, they went to the zoo and Brackenridge, and the Witte Museum. They had fun, but wished Misty was there.

* * *

Meanwhile, Misty had gotten up, used the restroom, let the dogs out, fed them, and grabbed a pumpkin empanada, one of her favorite kinds of pan dulce, from the bag her mother had brought home last night after visiting with her father/Misty's grandfather. After finishing her empanada, Misty got something else to eat since Josh and Angelbella were being pretty active and had demanded more food. After she had finished eating, her mother had come downstairs. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and went upstairs to relax, with Shadow following her.

* * *

She spent the day relaxing, but about 8:00 p.m., she started to get cleaned up and dressed in her sunshine yellow dress. She pinned the paper sun and moon to the chiffon overlayer that draped over her large baby bump, and then pinned her nametag over her heart, and started applying gold-toned makeup to her face, and some berry-red lipstick. When she finished, she truly felt like the goddess of motherhood she was dressed as. She got her purse together, and then got in her mom's red Nissan Rogue. When they picked up her brother, Misty smiled; Wes had said he didn't plan on dressing up, but he borrowed their dad's Mr. Incredible costume and dressed up.

"Wes, you look good," Misty complimented him.

"You sure do babe," their mother agreed.

"Thanks mom, thanks Misty," Wes replied as he got in the Rogue. Wes then looked over Misty's costume. "Yours looks good too. That was a good idea doing Leto," Wes complimented her.

"Thank you. I thought it made perfect sense," Misty replied with a smile. She knew her brother, a mythology buff, would appreciate her costume. They followed the GPS directions to her friend Danny's house, and got out of the car. Their mother told them to call her when they were ready to go and encouraged them to have a good time.

"Thanks mom," Misty and Wes said quickly and walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Their friend Danny, dressed in a Logan (Wolverine) costume, answered the door and let them in.

"Hey Danny," Misty and Wes greeted.

"Hey! Who are y'all?" Danny greeted enthusiastically.

"It's us, Misty and Wes," Misty replied.

"Oh! Hey! It's so good to see you guys! I didn't even recognize you two!" Danny exclaimed happily as he gave them bear hugs. "Those are great costumes! Misty, that's a great idea incorporating the babies as part of your costume."

"Thank you," Misty and Wes replied. Misty beamed with pride and Danny introduced them to his roommates. Misty asked if they could take pictures, to which Danny happily agreed to. After taking pictures, Misty noticed there was a DJ setting up a karaoke screen.

"Ooh Karaoke is going to be fun!" Misty exclaimed.

"It sure is," Danny agreed with a chuckle. Wes rolled his hazel eyes.

"Oh lord," Wes muttered under his breath.

"Oh shut up," Misty reprimanded him.

"You and I are going to have a duet," Danny told Misty with a smile.

"Sure!" Misty agreed enthusiastically. In the meantime, she grabbed some pizza and a bottle of water. She ate and mingled with the other guests as they started to arrive. A little while later, Danny and Misty did do their duet. Danny had suggested a song from the Little Mermaid, but Misty pointed out there wasn't much of a duet from any of the songs, and she knew he was referring to a time when she dressed as Ursula for his costume, belated birthday party a year or 2 ago. Misty suggested "I Put a Spell on You," but it didn't work out as well as she and Danny would have thought, but at least it was fun.

She took turns with the other guests doing different karaoke songs, and was having a blast. Misty took pictures, and had the DJ take pictures of her during her turns. At midnight, they brought out Danny's birthday cake that was lit with a set of sparkler candles in the shape of 30. Misty took pictures, they had cake, and then Danny and his roommates handed Misty and Wes a set of Best Costume ribbons. Misty and Wes pinned the ribbons on, took pictures with them on, and then it was time to dance.

They had such a fun time, but then they started to get tired, so they called their mom and then waited for her to pick them up. It was a great party, and Misty was proud of herself for keeping Seto, Mokuba, Sophia, and the wedding a secret, which meant the plans were still safe. Misty and Wes's mom then pulled up a few minutes later and Misty and Wes bade everyone a quick goodbye before getting in the Rogue.

"So, did y'all have fun?" their mother asked.

"Oh yes, it was a blast. We got a set of Best Costume ribbons, and they even had karaoke," Misty replied happily.

"Oh lord," their mother retorted.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Misty protested.

"Well I'm glad you had a good time," their mother replied changing the subject.

"Yeah it sure was," Misty and Wes agreed. Their mother then took Wes home, and then took Misty home. They let the dogs out once more, and Misty went upstairs, got a t-shirt and some shorts, and then took a shower to wash off the sweat and makeup. She felt refreshed as she came out, and then got settled into bed.

* * *

Sunday, Oct 30th

Seto had texted her another good morning message.

"Good morning my love. We had fun yesterday going to the missions, the zoo, Brackenridge, and the Witte, but it would've been more fun with you. How was the party? I can't wait to see you this afternoon. What time are you coming?" the text read. Misty smiled giddily.

"Good morning honey. I'm glad you had a fun time, and yes it would've been awesome if I was there with y'all. I missed y'all. The party was so much fun! I can't wait to show you the pictures! Wes and I got best costume ribbons, there was karaoke, and dancing! And I can't wait to see you this afternoon either. It should be about 4:00 when I'm able to go there, depending on what time the communal family birthday lunch is over and how quick I can get everything ready to go, and traffic," Misty responded.

"Wow sounds like a great time. Alright, 4:00 sounds good. I'll be waiting. I love you, and the babies," Seto replied.

"See you later! We love you too," Misty answered and added a kiss emoji. She did her business, let the dogs out, fed them, and got something to eat, and then she and her mom started getting ready to go to the birthday lunch for everyone with October birthdays at Saltgrass Steakhouse. When they were ready to go, Misty and her mother got into the Rogue, and then picked up Wes, and headed to the restaurant, where most of her family was waiting. She greeted her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandpa with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, as was customary, and chatted with them a little, making sure to keep Seto, Mokuba, Sophia, and the plans for later and tomorrow a secret. Inside her head, she was preparing herself for a confrontation with her mother, who was definitely bound to see her leaving with a suitcase, and wondering what she'd say. More of her family members arrived, they greeted each other, and then they were all seated, started ordering food and drinks, and were conversing cordially about normal things. The food was served, then the cakes, and the gifts were distributed to the proper recipients. Misty and Wes's mother paid for hers and Wes's lunch and hers, and then shortly after everyone had squared away their checks, they bade each other farewell with another customary hug and kiss on the cheek. Misty and Wes's mother then led them to the Rogue, and they got in and Wes was dropped off at his and Misty's father's house, and then went home.

Once Misty and her mother had gotten home, her mother went upstairs to change and get comfortable, and start getting her laundry together. Misty crept into the garage where her suitcase was stored, got her suitcase, and snuck it into her room and shut the door. She put her suitcase on the bed, and started packing her wedding dress, tiara, veil, shoes, and a week's worth of clothing and shoes, her vitamins, jewelry, her camera, chargers, some movies, nail polishes. When she heard her mother go downstairs, presumably with a load of laundry, and she heard her mother go into the garage where the washing machine and dryer were, Misty came out of her room, went to her bathroom, got her makeup, hair iron, coconut oil, facial cleansing scrub, makeup removers, nail polish remover, cotton balls and q-tips, and anything else she'd need. She put them in a plastic bag and put them in her suitcase. She mentally went through her checklist to make sure she had everything she needed to stay with Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia for a week. She had decided to pack some of her beauty stuff and some romantic comedy movies so she and Sophia could have a girls' night in to get beauty prepped for tomorrow, while Seto and Mokuba could have a guys' night. When Misty was sure she had everything, she got some money ready, and ordered a Lyft, then she carried the suitcase downstairs and got her purse.

"Where are you going?" her mother demanded. This was it…

"To stay with Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia for a week, at their hotel," Misty replied. She was ready for this.

"What?! I don't think so!" her mother exclaimed.

"Oh yes I am," Misty insisted. "I have a Lyft coming to get me, and I'm going,"

"No, you are not! And where do you even have the money to pay the Lyft driver?" her mother demanded.

"I have money, and yes, I am. I'm 29 years old, and you can't stop me if I want to go!" Misty shot back.

"HE'S DANGEROUS!" Her mother yelled.

"NO, HE IS NOT! WE ALL SAW THE VIDEO! HE WAS ANGRY THAT BASTARD HURT ME AND COULD HAVE HURT THE BABIES!" Misty shot back angrily and tears welled her eyes from the rage. "HE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT SWEET TO ME, AND I AM GOING TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM, SOPHIA, AND MOKUBA, AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE WILL FIND A PLACE TO RENT FOR A FEW MONTHS! YOU, WES, AND DAD HAVE KEPT ME FROM THEM LONG ENOUGH! THE BABIES AND I NEED HIM AND HE NEEDS US! HE HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING DESPICABLE! HE BOUGHT YOU THE DAMN COURTSIDE SPURS TICKETS, WES THE PHOTOSHOP AND LESSONS, AND FOR DAD, ARCHERY STUFF! NONE OF Y'ALL FOUND ANY FAULT WITH HIM! HE STAYED HERE ALL DAY WITH US WHEN LULU WAS DYING AND HE PAID FOR HER SERVICES AT THE VET WHEN WE PUT HER DOWN, AND FOR HER ASHES! HE CAME ALL THIS WAY BACK FOR ME! HOW DOES THAT READ AS DESPICABLE?! AND IF YOU HAD BEEN IN THAT ROOM WHEN I WAS HURT, WOULDN'T YOU HAVE GONE BALLISTIC AND BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THAT BASTARD FOR HURTING YOUR BABY GIRL AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN?!" Misty screamed as tears streamed from her eyes. Her mother was silent as Misty laid out all those points like spikes. She would have been blind with rage if she had been in the room when that asshole had hurt Misty and beaten the shit out of him, and so would Wes and her ex-husband. "AND IF YOU CAN'T RESPECT HIM, ONCE HE HAS THE MONEY BACK, I WILL GO BACK TO DOMINO AND I WON'T COME BACK AGAIN, EVER, AND THE MOST OF A RELATIONSHIP YOU WILL HAVE WITH JOSH AND ANGELBELLA IS THROUGH SKYPE! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!" Misty added. Her mother gasped and her chocolate eyes widened like saucers.

"Are you serious?" her mother asked. She felt her heart break a little at that implication.

"Oh yes, I am," Misty replied. "I won't allow my children to be raised with your animosity towards their father and his brother when they did nothing wrong. "I love you and the family, and I really don't want to have to do that, but it's your choice," Misty replied with a steely calm. There was a brief pause that felt like hours until her mother finally relented.

"…Ok," her mother replied. Misty hugged her mother tight.

"Thank you. I love you. I didn't want to have to do that, but I had to. I'll be back in a few days. Please take good care of Shadow," Misty told her.

"I love you too, and I'll take good care of her, please be safe," her mother replied. Misty kissed her cheek, and got a notification that her ride was there. She got down to Shadow and gave her a petting and kissed her head.

"You be a good girl for grandma, ok?" Shadow licked her face happily and wagged her tail. Misty smiled and then got her purse, keys, sunglasses, and her suitcase and went out to the driver. The Lyft driver helped put her suitcase in the trunk, and helped her into the car.

"Where to ma'am?" the driver asked.

"The Holiday Inn on Cesar Chavez, near Market Square," Misty requested.

"Yes ma'am," the driver replied and started driving. Misty then looked at the time and it was 3:45, and she messaged Seto to let him know that she was on the way, and would be there in a half hour.

"Okay honey. See you soon," Seto replied and then grabbed his room key and went to sit in the lobby. He had just gotten back a few minutes prior from picking up the bouquets and boutonnieres from the florist and had stored them as instructed.

About 20 minutes later, the Lyft driver had arrived at the hotel. Seto saw the car pull up and he got a luggage cart and came outside, while Misty paid the driver and was getting out. Seto immediately ran up to her after leaving the cart on the curb near the car, and he helped her brace herself as she got out with her purse. The driver popped the trunk and helped Seto get her suitcase out.

"I thought you'd have more luggage," Seto thought surprised as he saw she only had one suitcase.

"I figured this would be enough for now. We can get more of my stuff from my mother's later, and Shadow," Misty replied. The Lyft driver disappeared.

"Ok. How is Shadow?" Seto asked.

"She's as happy and energetic as usual. She enjoys smelling me when we spend time together. She knows y'all are here, but she just doesn't see y'all. I think she misses y'all," Misty replied. Seto smiled.

"I miss our hyper furball too," Seto joked. Misty chuckled and held his hand, while his other hand rolled the suitcase behind them up to their room. Misty then noticed that Mokuba and Sophia weren't with them.

"Are Sophia and Mokuba in their room?" Misty asked.

"Actually, they are having a romantic picnic by the Tower of Americas," Seto replied. Misty smiled.

"Sounds nice," Misty remarked and they got to their room about 10 minutes later. They weren't in any hurry. Once safely enclosed within the confines of their room, Seto pulled her into his arms for a tight side hug and kissed her passionately. Misty held him and kissed back with equal fervor.

"I missed you three so much yesterday," Seto whispered as he rubbed her belly, earning some movement, which forced Misty to sit down on the bed. Seto had her sit near the head of the bed and sat in front of her and rubbed her rippling belly. He was always fascinated by how much they moved, particularly in response to his voice. He happily talked to Josh and Angelbella, and they responded with different intensities. Misty smiled as she watched the "conversation"; it was so cute, and she endured the pain the responses caused. The more they bonded with their daddy, the better.

After a while, Misty was hungry, and the babies started moving a bit irritably like they were hungry too.

"Ow… I think it's dinner time…" Misty announced.

"What are you hungry for?" Seto asked.

"How about Mexican?" Misty suggested.

"Mi Tierra?" Seto offered. He didn't want to go too far from her.

"Sure."

"Do you want me to go get some and bring it, or should we both go over?" Seto asked.

"We can go," Misty replied as she slowly got up. Seto helped her up and got her purse for her, then got his room key and wallet. He held her hand and they left the room, making sure it was secure, and walked the few blocks it took to get to Mi Tierra. They were promptly seated, ordered iced teas, and perused the menu. When their server came back, they ordered. Misty and Seto gazed at each other lovingly and felt so connected. They couldn't believe that tomorrow they were going to be husband and wife.

"I'm so excited about tomorrow," Misty told Seto.

"Me too. It's like a dream come true. It doesn't feel like it's real. I've been working so hard and so long for us to be together again, and married, and now that it's finally here, it feels like a dream I'm afraid to wake up from. I've had so much misfortune in my life, and I couldn't bear to lose you or the babies again," Seto explained solemnly.

"Well, you won't. I'm going to do everything in my power to stay with you, and be the best wife and mother I can be," Misty promised. Seto smiled and kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too," Misty echoed. "So, we need to think of a plan once we're married," Misty began.

"Alright," Seto agreed.

"We will need to find a temporary home, a rental for a few months," Misty began.

"I was kinda hoping we could go back to Domino," Seto replied.

"We will… in a few months. The doctor strongly recommended I don't travel unless absolutely necessary, and I'm sure she'd say the same about Sophia. And I don't think we're ready to go back anyways. Plus, I do want my family around when Josh and Angelbella are born. I was thinking we rent a house in my neighborhood for a few months, and once the babies are a little old enough, and we have everything on track, then we can go back," Misty explained.

"Alright, that's reasonable," Seto agreed. "I'll need to find a job."

"Well first, we have to get you, Mokuba, and Sophia visas to live and work here, but since I'm an American citizen and we're getting married, perhaps we can even figure out citizenship. What kind of work do you want to do in the meantime?"

"Well, I guess the easiest thing we can do right now is for Mokuba and me to have a business consulting business. That should bring in money quickly. I'll need your help getting started."

"That's a brilliant idea babe! And of course. I'm just glad you paid well when I worked for you, and you helped me get good stock," Misty told him with a smile and a kiss. Seto smiled back into the kiss.

"Yeah, I'm so glad too," Seto agreed.

"Then after we get your citizenship stuff squared away, we can go to the Chamber of Commerce for business permits. And I guess we can have a Thanksgiving baby shower too, to prepare for the babies. I just wish I could do the nursery like I wanted to back home in Domino," Misty added.

"Yeah, I know, and that does sound like a great idea," Seto concurred. "I was also thinking… since you and Sophia are so close to the end of your pregnancies, perhaps you two could stay at home and take care of the house?" Seto suggested. Misty grimaced, but knew there wasn't much option.

"Alright, if we must," Misty acquiesced.

"I know you want to do stuff, and I wouldn't ask you otherwise, but I just want to make sure you, Sophia, and the babies are safe and healthy, and I think employers won't hire you two because you and her would be on maternity leave right after being hired," Seto explained. Misty nodded with a grimace. She did understand, and he did have some good points. Well, at least she and Sophia could help their husbands (to-be) by taking care of the house and dinner, and reminding them to stay balanced and healthy.

"Oh, yeah, and we'll also need to take driver's ed, and get a used car," Misty piped up as she thought about it. Seto and Mokuba being able to drive here was necessary; how would they get to their clients otherwise? Taxis and drivers were expensive, and the buses took a while. And if she and Sophia learned, (well Misty would have a refresher since she had head trauma) they could run errands and do things they needed to do, once they had enough for a 2nd car.

"That's true, that's important," Seto agreed. "And I think when Mokuba and I come home after work, and we all have dinner, he and I will work on fixing Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land little by little until we can get them opened and operating again. The bright side is we figured out how to destroy the virus, so at least that's a little easier."

"That's good! I'm glad you were able to take care of that virus. Alright, I think we pretty much got it figured out, for now," Misty pointed out. Seto smiled.

"Now let's just enjoy our dinner date, and every moment we have before we have to part for tonight," Seto suggested.

"Good plan," Misty agreed with a smile and the waitress brought their food to them, and they enjoyed their dinner and listening to the roaming mariachis serenading the other patrons. After they finished their dinner, they went to the panadería and bought some pan dulce to snack on later and for breakfast in the morning, and got an extra paper bag, and a bag of coffee, and then went back to the hotel. By the time they got back, Mokuba and Sophia were already back.

"Hey Misty! Hey Seto!" Mokuba greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Mokuba," Misty and Seto greeted. "How was your date?"

"It was so romantic and peaceful!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"It sure was," Sophia agreed with a smile.

"Alright, you two ready to part for our wedding night eve?" Misty asked.

"I guess," Mokuba replied. "Who's going where?"

"Well Sophia can come into mine and Seto's room, and Seto can go into yours, or vice versa," Misty suggested.

"Sure, the first way works just fine," Mokuba and Sophia agreed.

"Alright cool," Misty nodded and helped Seto get his things together in their room while Mokuba helped Sophia get her things together.

"Tonight is going to suck," Mokuba told Sophia in their room.

"I'm going to miss you tonight," Seto told Misty in their room.

"I know, but it's just for tonight, and tomorrow I'll be Mrs. Kaiba," Misty and Sophia replied to their husbands-to-be while caressing their faces. Mokuba and Seto brushed some stray hairs behind Sophia and Misty's ears, respectively while gazing into their eyes, and kissing them.

"I can't wait," Mokuba and Seto replied and they looked giddy; tomorrow, both Sophia and Misty would be Mrs. Kaiba!

"Me either," Sophia and Misty replied. "Goodnight, Mr. Kaiba," both Misty and Sophia bade teasingly and flirtatiously.

"Goodnight, future Mrs. Kaiba," Mokuba and Seto replied with a grin and then Seto and Sophia traded rooms so Seto was in Mokuba's room, and Sophia went into Seto's room, after Seto had split the pan dulce for each room into both paper bags, and gotten the boutonnieres. Misty and Sophia hugged and Misty shut the door, and Seto shut the door to Mokuba's room

"Let girls' night begin!" Misty exclaimed.

"Let guys' night begin!" Seto exclaimed. In their rooms, they watched some movies and got prepped and ready for the wedding tomorrow, and just enjoying the bonding time. Misty and Seto also filled them in on the conversation they had earlier about the plans, and both Mokuba and Sophia thought they were great ideas.

They went to bed at a decent time, but the four of them found it really hard to sleep; they were too excited about the wedding. For Misty and Sophia, it was doubled because the babies were feeding off the excitement and were moving around a lot.

* * *

Monday, Oct 31st, Halloween

Eventually, they did get to sleep, and they dreamed about the wedding, but their alarms woke them up. They were tired, but eager and excited. This was the day they waited for what felt like forever to them. They ate the rest of the pan dulce for breakfast, and got showered and started getting ready.

Misty and Sophia took their time doing their hair and makeup, and then they helped each other into their dresses, and admired each other's looks.

"Seto and Mokuba are going to so crazy seeing us!" Sophia exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh yeah!" Misty agreed happily.

"You look so beautiful!" Misty and Sophia complimented each other. They took turns taking each other's pictures with their phones. They grabbed the bouquets from the storage space where Seto had left them, along with their small purses in which they had put their phones, money, ids, and room keys, and then caught their ride, thankfully without being noticed by Seto and Mokuba. They had thought about sharing a ride with Seto and Mokuba, but they wanted to do this wedding right, with Seto and Mokuba not seeing them before the wedding. Their hearts were racing wildly the closer they got towards Marriage Island. This felt so surreal; they were about to both become Mrs. Kaiba.

"Are you nervous Misty?" Sophia asked as she looked at her sister-in-law-to-be.

"A little, but I think it's outweighed by excitement. How about you?" Misty replied.

"Yeah, I'm excited too, but I'm also really tired," Sophia answered as she stifled a yawn. The yawn was contagious and made Misty yawn too.

"I guess I'm a little tired too. It was hard to sleep," Misty agreed.

"Yeah," Sophia agreed.

"Maybe after the ceremony, we can get lunch, have our marital fun with them, rest, and then later we can maybe go to the club for some dancing and a costume contest for cash. We already have a group costume- The Court of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. If we win, the money would sure help after what we used this week," Misty told her.

"Yeah, it would. I hope we win," Sophia agreed.

"Me too. Today is so awesome!" Misty exclaimed. Sophia smiled.

"It sure is." It wasn't long before they were dropped off at the point where the Marriage Island office was, paid the driver, and went inside the office to wait for their husbands-to-be.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Seto and Mokuba were feeling jittery as they took their time putting on their shiny silver tuxes with the ice blue shirts and ties, and silver shoes.

"I can't believe this day is finally here! I feel like we're in a dream, and I don't want to wake up," Seto told Mokuba. He was hesitant to get too excited, but today he couldn't help himself.

"Me too," Mokuba agreed with a smile and a light glowing in his soft, steel grey eyes. He then pinched Seto and himself to show that this was indeed real.

"Ow!" they both exclaimed and smiled.

"Thank you, Mokuba. I really needed the proof that today was really happening."

"Me too, and you're welcome," Mokuba replied with a smile and sighed happily. "What should we do after the wedding?"

"Well, I imagine they'd want to eat lunch first, and then perhaps we could have some marital fun with them in our hotel rooms, and then see what they're up for later," Seto replied.

"We'll have to be careful with them since they're pregnant," Mokuba warned.

"I know, but we could do a gentle session on them," Seto protested.

"Alright, that sounds good," Mokuba agreed. He didn't want either Misty nor Sophia getting hurt.

"Today is going to be one of the best days of our lives," Seto declared happily.

"It sure is," Mokuba concurred with a smile. Those days had been so rare for them. So far, the best days they've had of their whole lives had been when Seto found out his mother was going to have Mokuba; When Mokuba was born, though that day had also been tainted with sadness due to their mother's passing; The day Gozaburo committed suicide and they inherited Kaiba Corp; Building KaibaLand; Meeting Misty, and Sophia; Valentine's Day this year, when they had their first dates; Misty's birthday, when she agreed to be Seto's wife; for Mokuba, going to prom with Sophia, and afterwards; When they found out Misty and Sophia were pregnant; Seeing Misty again, and having her disobey her family's wishes to spend time with them and plan this wedding; And finally, today, their Halloween wedding, at one of the city's supposedly most blessed sites to have a marriage that was supposed to bring good luck to couples that wed there. Mokuba and Seto were certain that there were more happy days on the horizon; there just HAD to be.

" _Oh, there will be,"_ the deep, ethereal voice in his head promised. Seto smiled to himself.

"What is it?" Mokuba asked seeing him smile.

"Just a promise for more happy days ahead," Seto answered and felt a boost of joy and confidence. Mokuba smiled.

" _You both look so handsome. Take good care of your brides and your children," their parents said softly to them. Seto and Mokuba's eyes widened._

"Mom? Dad? Is that you?" they asked _._

" _Yes, it is. We just wanted to give our blessing today," their mother replied._

"Thank you, mom, dad," Seto and Mokuba beamed. "I wish you were here for real today,"

" _What, us being here like this isn't enough?" their dad joked. Seto and Mokuba chuckled._

"It is. Thank you," Seto and Mokuba replied.

" _Anytime kiddos," their father replied. "You two better hurry. They're waiting for you."_

"Okay dad. Thanks for coming mom and dad," Seto replied.

" _You're welcome," they replied and disappeared._ Seto and Mokuba were charged up even more now. They finished getting ready, put the boutonnieres on, and then called a Lyft and got down to Marriage Island. Their hearts were thudding violently as they walked to the end of the aisle. They had a few minutes left before noon. They saw some spirit figures sitting on the two benches. Two were his and Mokuba's parents, and the others were Misty's grandma and Lulu. Seto recognized her from Misty's picture. They couldn't believe it! Their parents, Misty's grandma, and Lulu had come to the wedding! This was fantastic!

" _Aye mijos, it is so nice to meet y'all,"_ Misty's grandma told them softly and gave them a hug, which caused a little wind to pick up. Lulu nudged Seto's and Mokuba's legs happily.

"It's nice to meet you too," Seto and Mokuba replied. Misty's grandma smiled at them and turned to Seto.

" _You take good care of my Misty, and the babies,"_ her grandma commanded sternly but lovingly.

"Oh, I will," Seto promised. "She will be so happy you and Lulu came. Thank you."

" _I wouldn't miss it for the world,"_ her grandma assured him with a smile and sat down. Then the photographer and pastor showed up, and the photographer started taking pictures of the eagerly-waiting grooms, and also managed to catch the spirits, which freaked him out a little.

"Don't be scared. They're the spirits of our parents, and my bride's grandmother and her dog. They've come from Heaven to witness this," Seto reassured the photographer, which calmed him down a little.

"How joyous to have heavenly visitors!" the pastor replied with a smile.

"Indeed," Seto agreed with a smile. He and Mokuba were starting to get antsy.

* * *

Meanwhile,

An attendant came to the office to let Misty and Sophia know that it was time, and Seto and Mokuba were there.

"Thank you," Misty and Sophia replied and got their bouquets and purses and then followed the attendant to Marriage Island. They saw Seto and Mokuba waiting for them and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Seto look! Here they come!" Mokuba pointed out and instantly focused on Sophia. She looked so beautiful and sexy, and yet so innocent in her white dress with the blue embroidery. Seto immediately focused on Misty and he was absolutely stunned by how gorgeous she looked in her silver and ice blue gown and her Blue Eyes White Dragon necklace. She looked like the Queen of the Blue Eyes White Dragons. His heart fluttered wildly like a frightened, caged bird. The attendant walked them to the beginning of the aisle and held their purses while Misty and Sophia linked arms and held the bouquets in their free hands. The photographer was snapping pictures as Misty and Sophia cantered down the aisle, eager to be at their grooms' sides. Misty and Sophia then noticed some spirit figures sitting on the bench, but couldn't make them out right now; they were too focused on their grooms. Seto and Mokuba were focused so intently on their brides and smiled happily. They were so happy, they let a few tears of joy fall. Misty and Sophia smiled at them and then made it to the end of the aisle. They unlinked arms, handed the bouquets to the attendant, who put them with their purses, and then Misty and Sophia took their husbands-to-be's hands.

"You look so incredible!" Seto whispered to Misty. "You look like the Queen of the Blue Eyes White Dragons."

"Thank you. That's the idea," Misty replied back and smiled. "You look so handsome."

"Thank you," Seto beamed happily.

"Babe, you look so beautiful and sexy, yet innocent," Mokuba whispered to Sophia.

"Thanks babe. You look so handsome," Sophia replied with a smile.

"Now then, we are gathered here today in the presence of heavenly visitors and the Lord to confer a marriage between Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, and their brides Misty Robinson and Sophia Yakamori, respectively. If anybody has any objections to these unions, please speak now, or forever hold your peace," the pastor began. Misty and Sophia were a little confused about the "Heavenly visitors" part, but decided to ignore it. People passing by noticed a wedding taking place, and decided to watch. They noticed the grooms looked familiar somehow, and started recording the wedding on their phones. Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba didn't notice them filming; all they cared about was each other and the ceremony. While the passerby people filmed, they realized why the grooms looked familiar; they were Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, and then were more fascinated by the wedding. They couldn't believe they were witnessing SETO AND MOKUBA KAIBA GETTING MARRIED! More and more passerby stopped and filmed.

"Now then, I understand that y'all have written your own vows?" The pastor began.

"Yes sir," Seto, Mokuba, Misty, and Sophia replied.

"Ladies first," the pastor invited.

"Seto, my love, I wasn't expecting to find love when I first came to Domino. I was open to the possibility, but didn't expect to find love. When I applied for a job at Kaiba Corp., I was just looking for a way to provide for my new life in Domino. Apparently, God had other plans. He brought us together at just the right time. On our interview day, I was so scared that you would die, and I had to try to help. From there, despite our stubborn, initial differences and our resolve to not date anyone at work, I fell for you, hard, and it grew faster when I moved in with you after the fire, and you took care of me. You made me feel so special, and I happily said yes when you proposed. I couldn't wait to be your wife and start a life and a family with you, especially after you were there when you saw me and my family at our lowest when Lulu was dying. And then we were separated. As I was trying to get my memory back, I felt an emptiness. When you came here and I found out the truth, and I sprung you, I felt that void fill, and I was finally purely happy for the first time in a long time. My heart felt complete. I can't wait to be by your side forevermore, in good times and bad, through sickness and health, wealth or poverty, with Josh and Angelbella. You are my destiny. Anywhere you go, I go, and vice versa. I love you so much, now and forevermore, and there will never be anyone else," Misty vowed as a few tears shimmered in her eye and escaped. Seto wiped the tears with his finger and smiled, a few of his own tears shimmering in his eyes.

"That was beautiful," Seto whispered to her. He hoped his vows would touch her heart like hers did to his.

"Yes, it was quite lovely," the pastor, Mokuba, and Sophia agreed.

Next it was Sophia's turn.

"Mokuba, before I met you on February 13th, nothing in my life was going right. I was invisible, lonely, tormented, and I had estranged myself from my criminal family. I didn't think anybody was going to notice me, ever, and it made me feel depressed. Then as I was helping in the library, I found myself overwhelmed with a stack of books, and they fell. Then you appeared and helped me, and were kind to me. You hated when the bell rang and we had to part, then when bullies attacked me later, you in your shining armor came to my rescue, then walked me to class when the bell rang, talked to me, made me feel like I finally belonged and was wanted. I eagerly traded phone numbers with you, and you took me on a proper Valentine's date and were kind enough to give me a ride to work so I wouldn't have to worry about the bus. It was the first time I felt special. That was the moment you had my heart. I was so fortunate that you wanted to stay by my side, and I was so afraid I'd scare you off, especially if you knew who my family was, and that you'd get tired of always protecting me from bullies, but you stayed, and protected me, and even gave me some extra help with Seto, Misty, and Rosa. We were so happy. And I was especially happy I got to experience prom with you. Then, after my family ruined everything, I was devastated when we split briefly, and was so relieved and happy when we were able to reconcile and resume our relationship. I was surprised when Misty sprung the marriage license on us. I had always known I wanted to marry you, but with everything that was going on, I didn't want to pressure you. I was touched when you said you wanted to give me a proper ring to propose with, and give me the perfect moment, but it was perfect as it was. We were all together, it was romantic, and sort of spontaneous. And now we're here and I can't wait to spend forever with you, and our son, Vincent.," Sophia vowed with tears shimmering in her eyes. Mokuba also had tears welling in his eyes; it was so beautiful.

"Alright, now the guys. Let's start with Seto," the pastor invited.

"Alright, here goes. It may not be as beautiful as yours, Misty, but it's from my heart," Seto began.

"That's all I ask," Misty assured him with a smile.

"Misty, Mokuba and I have only ever had just a handful of truly happy days, and most of them featured you and Sophia. Before Mokuba and I met you, pretty much all we knew was work, dueling, chess, brotherhood, and KaibaLand. There was hardly any joy, and love, except for the love Mokuba and I had as brothers, was a weakness. I scoffed at love, and also faith, but the moment you walked into my office and saved my life without hesitation or wanting reciprocation, you changed all that around. With you, we were finally happy, relaxed, we started understanding why you had faith, we started learning gratitude, and most importantly, we learned how to love, and it now, it's like breathing. I knew when I watched you be so protective and maternal to Mokuba and Sophia, that you were going to be a great mother, and after you protected me from ruin, I knew I wanted to marry you. I knew that I couldn't imagine my future without you. When you were hurt trying to stop Nero, in a coma, and I wasn't allowed to see you, I lost it. It felt like my world shattered. It hurt worse knowing you didn't remember anything, you were taken from me, and I missed big moments with you about Josh and Angelbella. It was so miserable living without you while I worked to try to get the computer virus eliminated, and to save enough to get back to you. When I finally saw you again, I felt so alive again, but it was tainted when I was thrown into jail for showing up and trying to show you the truth. Thankfully, you being my angel that you are, you freed me and told me you wanted to marry me, again, and were so brave to have come to secretly spend time with us to plan for this, today. I can't wait to spend forever with you, my beautiful, smart, protective angel queen, by my side, raising Josh and Angelbella and any other children, and later grandchildren we have. I never want to part from you; I can't handle that again. As long as I have you with me, we can handle anything and everything. I love you so much Misty.

"Wow!" everyone on the island exclaimed. Misty was so touched, she had to hug him as tight as she could manage, on the side. Seto held her tight as she hugged him and kissed her head.

"I'm excited to hear yours Mokuba," Sophia told Mokuba.

"I think we all are," the pastor agreed.

"Ok, I'll do my best," Mokuba began and took a breath.

"Sophia, like Seto said, we only had a handful of truly happy days in our life, but that all changed when we met Misty, and then I met you. When I saw you, I thought you were so cute, so shy, so sweet, after I helped you pick up that heavy stack of books. I hated that we had to part when the bell rang, and I was angry those bullies attacked you like that. I happily walked you to class, talked to you, traded numbers with you, and planned our Valentine's date. I was so nervous about our date I had to ask Misty for help on how a date should go. I wanted everything to be right, and sure enough, it was such a great date. I was happy to take you to work after that, and help you by giving you rides to make you feel safe and secure so you wouldn't have to take the bus. I was smitten and happy. I wanted nothing more than for you to be happy and safe, so I was happy to protect you, with some help. Then, we had a nasty fight after Nero attacked, and we were miserable being apart from each other for a few weeks, but thankfully, we were reunited and able to rekindle our love, and I was happy to be there with you to see our son growing at the visits to the doctor. We worked hard with Seto to get here, and after we reunited with Misty, everything felt perfect again. I had been planning on proposing to you, as soon as I was able to get a proper ring, I wanted the moment to be perfect, just as you deserved, but in a way, it kind of already was perfect when Misty surprised us with the marriage license. Today felt like a dream that would never come, but now that it has, and my heart races with joy knowing you will be by my side forever, as my wife. I will do everything in my power to ensure you are happy and safe. I will be your protector, your shining knight, and I will teach Vincent to be the same way for the future. I love you so much Sophia," Mokuba vowed and a few tears shimmered in his soft, steely grey eyes.

"Aww, Mokuba," Sophia replied as a few tears welled in her eyes and she hugged him.

"That was so sweet," Misty complimented him.

"Great job Mokuba," Seto chimed in. Mokuba beamed happily.

"Let us continue with the exchanging of the rings," the pastor announced. Misty, Sophia, Seto, and Mokuba nodded. Seto got his and Misty's rings from his pocket, while Mokuba got his and Sophia's rings from his pocket. Seto and Mokuba handed Misty and Sophia their rings, while they held Misty and Sophia's rings. "Please repeat after me, ladies," the pastor commanded. Misty and Sophia nodded and repeated everything the pastor said, and placed the rings on Seto's and Mokuba's fingers, and then Seto and Mokuba repeated the same words and slipped the rings onto Misty and Sophia's fingers.

"And now a reading from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love is patient, love is kind and not jealous; love does not brag, and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. May your marriages be blessed and everlasting, and what God has brought together, let no man tear asunder. With the power vested in me by the State of Texas and through the Ministry of San Antonio, I joyfully pronounce you husbands and wives. You may kiss your brides," the pastor instructed.

"With pleasure," Seto and Mokuba replied with grins and captured their wives' faces in their hands and kissed them passionately. Cheers erupted from across the river, and from the spirit figures. When they parted, they smiled at their new spouses. Seto then produced the marriage licenses from his coat pocket, and his hands trembled with joy. They could finally sign these! Misty, Seto, and the pastor signed theirs, and Mokuba and Sophia signed as witnesses. Then, Mokuba, Sophia, and the pastor signed theirs, while Misty and Seto signed as witnesses. Seto took the certificates back and put them in the envelope so they could file them later with City Hall. They could do that tomorrow.

" _Oh mijita! I'm so happy for you!" Misty's grandma told her as she and Lulu came up to her_. Misty froze in shock and felt a warm, airy embrace and a rhythmic thumping of a tail against her legs.

"Grandma?! Lulu?! Is that you?!" Misty exclaimed.

" _Yes mijita! I didn't want to miss this wedding. I'm so happy you found such a handsome, sweet man. I'm so proud of you!" her grandma crowed with pride_. Misty embraced her grandma and felt tears falling down her cheeks. She was so happy! Her grandma was here! Her grandma saw her get married! This meant so much to her!

" _Aye, mijita, don't cry, please," her grandma coaxed gently_.

"I'm just so happy you and Lulu came!" Misty exclaimed.

" _I've missed you, and the family," her grandma told her._

"We have too. Not a day goes by that we don't think of you," Misty replied.

" _I'm so happy to hear that. Well mijita, I'm so glad I was able to come. I love you, and may God be with you, your husband, Mokuba, and Sophia. We need to get back now," her grandma bade._

"Thank you, grandma," Misty bade and then pet her youthful, adoring spirit dog and held her face in her hands. "Hers my silly, sweet girl. I love you so much, and I miss you, and mom and West miss you too. You be a good girl for grandma," Misty told Lulu and felt her licking her face. Misty smiled and watched them disappear, and then the other two spirit figures had approached them.

" _It's nice to finally meet the woman who saved our Seto, made him happy, and helped him and Mokuba learn to love again," Seto's mom spoke cheerfully._

"Misty, this is my mom, and my dad," Seto introduced her.

"Oh wow! You're his parents! It's so great to meet you!" Misty gushed surprised and happily. Sophia was surprised too; Seto's and Mokuba's parents came to watch this too, as had Misty's grandma and Lulu. So, that's what the pastor meant when he said there were heavenly visitors there with them.

" _It's so nice to meet you too. You are one special lady," Seto's dad complimented her._

"Thank you so much! I'm honored you think of me like so," Misty replied with a smile.

" _Please continue to take good care of Seto, and I look forward to watching our grandchildren grow. I know you will be an excellent mother," his mother told her. Misty smiled._

"Oh, I'll take good care of him, and that means a lot coming from you," Misty replied. Seto's mom and dad smiled happily and hugged her and then moved onto Sophia.

"Sophia, meet my mom and dad," Mokuba introduced them happily.

"It's so nice to meet you," Sophia replied with a little bit of a blush.

" _It's nice to meet you too. You are such a sweetheart, and we're so glad Mokuba has you," Mokuba and Seto's mother replied._

"That means a lot," Sophia replied with a humble smile.

" _Take good care of Mokuba, and we are looking forward to watching our grandson grow. I know you will also be an excellent mother," Seto and Mokuba's mom assured her too with the same sentiment she offered Misty. It was true for both of them, and they both needed to hear it._

" _Indeed," Seto and Mokuba's father agreed with a smile. They hugged Mokuba and Sophia._

"Thank you so much," Sophia replied with a happy smile.

" _You are most welcome dear," Seto and Mokuba's mother replied with a smile._

" _Well kiddos, we need to head back, but we are so glad we were able to be here to see this," Seto's father bade._

"Thank you for coming, mom and dad," Seto and Mokuba bade.

"Yes, it was an honor to have you," Misty and Sophia chimed in. Mokuba and Seto's parents smiled and then disappeared. Seto, Mokuba's, Sophia's, and Misty's spirits were raised and electrified with joy that the family members that meant the world to them were able to visit from Heaven to witness this wedding. The joy was emanating off of them like a glow, and it was palpable during their wedding photo shoot. By the time the photographer finished, it was about 2:00 p.m., and he told them when they could expect the pictures. The happy couples nodded and then their stomachs were audibly growling; they were starving, and had decided to go to Whataburger, after ensuring they had Misty and Sophia's purses and bouquets, that the marriage licenses were back in Seto's breast pocket in his jacket, and some quick pics on their phones so they could share them to social media later. They could have gone somewhere fancy on the Riverwalk, but they wanted something cheap and quick since they were starving, and would allow them to finish quickly so they could move onto more fun and important things, namely in their hotel rooms.

They went into the Whataburger and it was a little busy, but not too bad, and everybody looked at them a bit oddly when they walked in, but they didn't care.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Misty quipped at the staring people, and a bunch of them looked away, while a few did take pictures more because they recognized Seto and Mokuba. The employee behind the counter just took the order without much reaction except for a quizzical eyebrow raise, especially after Misty's quip. They got their cups and went to the drink station and filled their cups. Misty and Sophia got some sweet tea while their husbands got sodas, and they took their table tent to a booth in the corner by the window. Misty put the table tent at the edge of the table and suggested they take a selfie when their burgers and fries came.

"Why?" Seto asked, a brunet eyebrow rising over his sapphire eye curiously.

"It's our wedding lunch, duh," Misty answered with a chuckle.

"Alright," Seto agreed.

" _Oh, come now, it's your wedding day, and she just wants to capture each moment. You were so excited and eager earlier," his inner self pointed out._ At that, Seto did feel a little guilty. Misty was so joyous and wanted to capture each moment of this day they had been waiting so long for, and he couldn't muster up enthusiasm. When the food came and they got it sorted, Misty held her camera out for a selfie of them with their burgers.

"Would you like me to take your picture for you?" the Whataburger employee asked.

"Yes, thank you," Misty replied and handed the employee her phone. The employee set the orange condiment tray down and took a picture of the four of them and handed Misty's phone back.

"Thank you," Misty repeated with a smile. The Whataburger employee nodded with a smile.

"Congratulations," the employee said and left with the orange condiment tray. Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia dug into their burgers and thoroughly enjoyed them. This hit the spot.

"So, do you girls want to do anything later this evening, after we have our fun and rest?" Mokuba asked.

"Well, I was thinking we can go to a club on the Riverwalk and do a costume contest for money, and do a little bit of dancing." Misty suggested.

"What are we going to dress as?" Seto asked curiously.

"What we're wearing now, but we'll call it the Royal Court of the Blue Eyes White Dragon," Misty answered matter-of-factly.

"Ooh! I like that!" Mokuba exclaimed. Seto smiled. It was totally her to think of something like that.

"I like it too," Seto chimed in.

"Ok, so it's decided, tonight we'll dress up again, go to a club that is holding a costume contest for money, we'll have our first dance, do a bit of dancing in general, and then enter the contest, and then get a ride back to the hotel," Misty detailed.

"Sounds good honey," Seto replied with a kiss.

"Yeah, it'll be fun, but do you think they'll let us in?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm sure they will, but we have to remember to have the wristbands or marks to show we're not drinking, for obvious reasons," Misty replied.

"Alright" Seto and Mokuba agreed. They finished up their food and drinks, and then decided to catch the bus to the hotel. They sat near the front, cuddled into each other, and within 10 minutes, they had arrived outside their hotel. Finally! It was time to have some sweet, blissful fun! They walked as quickly as Misty and Sophia's legs would allow, got their proper keys, and got to their rooms. Seto and Mokuba then unlocked the doors, put Misty and Sophia's purses and bouquets next to the doorjambs, and then swept their brides off their feet, and carried them inside to the beds. After gently placing them on the beds, Seto and Mokuba found the DO NOT DISTURB signs and hung them on the outside door handles and made sure the doors were locked, smirked, and then came back to the beds and started passionately kissing their wives.

 **IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ THESE FAIRLY GRAPHIC SEX SCENES WITH ANATOMICAL AND CLINICAL TERMINOLOGY, PLEASE SKIP THESE MARKED SECTIONS. YOU WON'T MISS TOO MUCH.**

* * *

 **Seto and Misty**

Seto and Misty were kissing with such hungry passion. They never realized just how much they missed making love to each other, and this was going to be like their first time all over again. Seto started kissing her neck, and Misty moaned lightly and tilted her head to give him better access to her neck, but then he realized that the silver collar of her dress and her veil were getting in his way. He growled in frustration and had her get up and stand. He didn't want ANYTHING in his way while he explored her body. He turned her around and then gingerly started unbuttoning the collar and her wristcuffs, and unzipping her dress so it was loose. Then he gingerly slipped her dress off her body and let it hit the floor, letting her engorged breasts fall freely, earning a relieved gasp from Misty. She felt so much better now that she wasn't as restrained at her chest and her belly. She was left standing in her veil, Blue-Eyes White Dragon necklace, panties, and shoes, and she blushed. Seto's breath hitched in his throat, and his pants got tighter against his erecting penis as he admired his pregnant queen's body. She blushed as she could feel the heat of his sapphire eyes roving along each inch of her body, from her dark chocolate waves, her face, her shoulders, her engorged breasts, her rippling pregnant belly and her more defined "tiger stripes" that were stretch marks from her burns and the stretching her pregnancy caused, her wide hips and ample butt, down her legs, and all the way down to her feet.

"Oh Misty, you're just as sexy and beautiful as I remember, if not more because you're glowing," Seto complimented her.

" _She is as radiantly sexy as ever," his inner self agreed._

" _She sure is," Seto confirmed. "Oh, how I've missed this. I need to hurry and get these clothes off! I don't want anything in my way!" Seto thought feeling as wild and primitive as Tarzan._

" _Easy, easy," his inner self replied trying to rein him in._

"Thank you honey," Misty replied and kicked off her shoes and yanked the tiara and veil off, and Seto had come close to her and slid her panties down her legs, exposing her vulva. Seto smiled with delight and had her sit on the edge of the bed.

"Feel free to undress me," Seto encouraged. Misty chuckled and smirked.

"Sure honey," Misty agreed. To start things off, Seto had removed his jacket and loosened his tie and vest to make things easier for her. He bent down and kissed her softly as she untied his tie, yanked it off, and started to unbutton his ice blue shirt, slowly revealing his pale pectorals and six-pack abs. Misty smiled and caressed his chest and abs, and Seto smiled at her. He stood up fully erect as he shrugged his shirt off, exposing his torso.

"And you're as lean and sexy as I remember," Misty told him with a smile.

"Thank you, my love," Seto replied with a smile. "There's more for you," he teased.

" _Yeah, and I can't wait to see it!" Misty's inner self exclaimed eagerly._

"Yes, there is," Misty agreed cheekily and pulled him closer to her by his belt loops, and then quickly started unclasping his belt, unbuttoning his pants, and then slowly teased him by slowly pulling the zipper down. Seto groaned and bucked his groin closer to her.

"Don't tease…please," Seto begged. Misty smirked cheekily.

" _Ohhh… why is she torturing us?!" Seto's inner self exclaimed feeling antsy._

" _Why are you teasing him?! Come on! We've been waiting for this!" Misty's inner self screamed. "Do you not want to see him any faster?!"_

"Then where would the fun be?" Misty retorted teasingly.

"Oh, you're cruel," Seto teased with mock pain.

"Yeah, I know, I'm evil," Misty joked with a chuckle. Seto chuckled too and pecked her with kisses, making Misty laugh.

" _Yes, yes you are," both Seto's and Misty's inner selves concurred._

"Come on, release the dragon, so I can continue to drive you crazy," Seto whispered in her ear.

" _Dragon?" both Seto's and Misty's inner selves asked with confusion. "Seriously? Did you just name your penis the dragon?"_

" _Yes," Seto answered his inner self. "What? It's suiting."_

" _Oh my God, you are so corny," his inner self rolled his eyes._

" _Shut up…" Seto retorted._

"Oh, is that what you're calling it now?" Misty teased with a chuckle at the nickname he gave his penis.

"Maybe," Seto joked with a cheeky grin and continued to pepper her with kisses, earning more giggles.

"Alright fine, you've convinced me," Misty relented playfully and slid his pants down his long, lean, pale legs, and let him brace himself against her shoulders as he lifted his legs to get his feet free, all the while, Misty was caressing his legs gingerly. Seto tensed up with the electric pleasure that coursed through his body as his beautiful wife caressed his legs, making his penis harder so it was fully erect and aching desperately to be released. Misty rubbed her hand back up his legs, earning deep groans from Seto, especially as she neared his penis hidden under tented boxers.

"Release it, please," Seto begged.

"As you wish, my love," Misty replied and pulled his boxers down slowly as Seto groaned, and then after a few seconds that felt like hours, Seto's circumcised 7-inch penis sprang free from its claustrophobic, silky prison. Misty smiled in awestruck wonder. Sure, she'd seen it before, obviously, but it still left her wonderstruck, especially since it was the first time in a long time she had seen him completely naked.

" _Ohhh… he's so handsome! Finally!" Misty's inner self exclaimed gleefully._

Her eyes roved from his chestnut brown hair, his cheeky and love-filled sapphire eyes, his lean shoulders, over his lean torso, his hips, his penis that looked like it was throbbing and aching as it waited to sheath itself in her vagina, and down his long, lean legs. He reminded her of a Greek god, or Michaelango's David.

" _Yeah, I'm with you on that, perfect description of him!" Misty's inner self agreed wholeheartedly. "I want to touch!"_

"Oh Seto, you look so handsome," Misty complimented him. Seto smiled and encouraged her to touch him by putting her hands on his hips.

" _Yes!" Misty's inner self cheered._

" _Ohh yes! This is going to be awesome!" Seto's inner self exclaimed gleefully._

Misty smiled up at him and squeezed his taut, but soft butt cheeks, lightly digging in with her nails. Seto moaned.

"Front, please," Seto begged. His penis throbbed a little more, aching to be touched, less than a foot from her face.

" _Yes!" their inner selves agreed desperately._

"Alright," Misty agreed and brought her hands to his hard, throbbing penis, and then started to knead it with her fingers. It felt like bumpy velvet wrapped around steel.

" _Ohhh!" Seto, his inner self, and Misty's inner self moaned as she rubbed and kneaded his penis._ Misty was enjoying it too. Seto bucked up into her hands.

"Harder! Please!" Seto begged.

"As you wish, honey," Misty replied and started to increase her ministrations on his shaft and the glans penis (the head). She twisted and kneaded, and then used a few fingers to caress his testicles.

"Ohhh Misty!" Seto moaned going crazy. After a few hard kneads, Misty decided to try something else to drive him crazy. She brought him closer to her, and then licked his glans penis (the head).

"Misty!" Seto exclaimed.

" _Oh God!" Seto's inner self exclaimed._ Misty then swirled her tongue around the glans penis and slowly took it into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the shaft like an ice cream cone.

"Oh God! Misty!" Seto exclaimed and grabbed her head and gripped her dark chocolate hair. Misty smirked as she licked his shaft, rubbed his testicles, and then lightly grazed her teeth against his shaft.

"Ohhh! Misty!" Seto cried out as he bucked up and gripped her hair a little tighter. She was starting to get aroused from the pleasure torture she was inflicting on him.

" _Whoa! Please hang on!" Seto's inner self begged._

" _I'm trying!" Seto shot back._ Misty then snaked a hand to his perineum and kneaded her fingers along that short patch of skin between his penis and anus, looking for his G-spot, the prostate. When she found the small bump in the middle of the perineum, she pressed and started rubbing.

"MISTY!" Seto cried out and bucked harder up to her and gripped her hair harder.

"Misty… I can't last much longer…" Seto told her desperately. As he said that, a drop of pre-cum hit her tongue. It tasted like salty cream. "Please, Misty, I need you so bad!" Seto begged. Misty then released his penis from her mouth, and his testicles and perineum from her hands, and she had him sit on the bed against the headboard, and thought about tying his hands to the headboard, but decided he should be able to explore her body while they were grinding. Misty then slowly lowered her wet vagina onto his volatilely throbbing penis, and she and Seto both moaned loudly.

"Oh, Seto you feel so big!" Misty whispered into his ear. Seto bucked up and felt his ego rise a little when she said that.

"And you feel so good and wet," Seto replied and kissed her with such passion and hunger, not caring that her mouth was caressing his penis not but a minute ago. He held her hips, and Misty started to slowly move in figure 8s on his penis. Misty moaned and leaned back a little, and Seto moaned, enjoying the sight of her arched body and heaving breasts. Seto then started kissing her neck, nibbling lightly, and Misty moaned and tilted her head to give him better access and gripped his hair. Seto then started kissing her shoulders and her engorged breasts. His tongue circled her enlarged, dusky rose nipples, and then started to suckle on one. Misty gripped his hair and moaned and arched up, and then started to move quicker and harder on his penis. Seto felt a thick, rich, creamy liquid come from her breast, and he realized he tasted her breast milk. It actually tasted pretty good, so he continued to suckle on her breast, and then moved to the other breast to suckle. The more he suckled on her breast, the more Misty arched up to him, gripped his hair, and made her figure 8s harder and faster, and she could feel herself floating upwards into space, being only lightly tethered to her body. She and Seto moaned in ecstasy, and he kissed her lips again passionately and held her hip with one hand, and used the middle and index finger on his other hand to rub her clitoris as they were moving, and Misty moaned a bit more and bucked harder into him.

"Oh Seto!" Misty said softly.

"Misty, I'm so close!" Seto whispered in her ear.

"Me too!" Misty exclaimed softly, her voice husky and sort of distant as she continued to float.

"Harder!" Seto commanded. Misty growled and then circled and did her figure 8s harder and faster, while Seto rubbed her clitoris, both desperate for orgasm. They growled and moaned and after a few minutes of intense movement, Misty froze and gasped as she orgasmed around Seto's penis, causing Seto to growl in pleasure and he exploded into her as he held her tightly. Both of them panted, and Misty leaned forward and rested her head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat, and then winced; she just noticed that the babies were kicking wildly right now. Their lovemaking must have been quite an experience to make them go this crazy.

"Ow," Seto said in surprise as he also felt the wild kicking against his stomach as well. Misty chuckled as she rested on his chest.

"It's not funny, the babies kicked me in the stomach," Seto pouted.

"Sure it is. Now you know what I feel ALL the time right now," Misty retorted.

" _She has a point, you know," Seto's inner self pointed out. Seto realized that was true… the babies do kick her insides a lot, and all she does is wince._

"Touché," Seto conceded, and continued to stroke her hair and her back, and kissed her forehead. Misty kissed him softly and caressed his face and hair.

"I love you, Seto, my husband," Misty said softly and smiled. Calling him her husband made her feel giddy, like a love-struck teenager.

"I love you more, Misty, my beautiful wife," Seto replied and kissed her again. Calling her his wife made his heart soar into space. She was actually his WIFE now, and he was her HUSBAND, and by damn, nobody was going to tear them apart. The babies had calmed down, and Seto had her get off him, and went to the bathroom to get some warm, damp washcloths so they could wipe each other down. He thought about taking a bath with her, but he was sure neither of them were up for it right now. He was pretty tired, and she had to be tired too. He came back with the warm washcloths and handed one to her, and started to wipe her down, savoring each inch of her body, especially as he wiped her vulva. Misty felt clean and relaxed when he did that for her. When he finished, he let Misty wipe every inch of his body, and she was enjoying it too, especially when she wiped his penis and testicles. He enjoyed her wiping them clean. He felt relaxed and just slightly aroused, but they wanted to rest. They put the washcloths on the bathtub and they climbed into their rumpled bed. Seto made a sort of nest for Misty's belly so she could sleep comfortably. Misty smiled happily at the thoughtful gesture and settled into the nest he made for her. Seto settled in and pulled her and the nest closer to him, wrapped them both up in the comforter, and wrapped his arms around her tight. He gazed drowsily into her warm, loving chocolate eyes, and she gazed into his happy, loving, sapphire eyes and fell asleep. Seto smiled as she fell asleep first and then gave her a sweet kiss before falling asleep himself, feeling utterly content with life.

* * *

 **END OF SEX SCENE #1.**

 **YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A BRIEF BREAK BEFORE STARTING SEX SCENE #2. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THIS FAIRLY GRAPHIC SEX SCENE USING ANATOMICAL AND CLINICAL TERMINOLOGY, YOU MAY SKIP THIS MARKED SECTION ALSO. YOU WON'T MISS MUCH.**

* * *

 **Mokuba and Sophia**

Mokuba continued to kiss Sophia passionately, and then started to kiss her neck. Sophia moaned and tilted her head to give him better access, and gripped his hair. Mokuba was going to do whatever he could to be gentle and take this slow with her, but he was starting to get a little excited.

"Oh Mokuba, that feels good," Sophia said softly as he continued kissing her neck. Mokuba smiled into the kisses on her neck, and then started to kiss down her neckline towards her large, plump breasts, causing Sophia to arch up.

" _This feels so good!" Sophia's inner self exclaimed._ Mokuba had her sit up on the bed and started to undo the ties on her sundress, and started to lift it up, over her head, and then got it off, leaving Sophia only in her veil and tiara, her glasses, her strapless bra, panties, and shoes. Sophia blushed as he admired her exposed skin. Sure, they had made love before numerous times, but she still couldn't help blushing. Mokuba admired her body, from her beautiful wavy, light brown hair, her jade green eyes behind those glasses, her beautiful neck, the plump breasts that were eager to escape their strapless cage, her round, rippling pregnant belly, her widened hips, her long legs, and finally her lovely feet.

"I am always astounded by your beauty, my love," Mokuba told her.

"Thank you. I'm always astounded by how handsome you are," Sophia replied. Mokuba smiled and kissed her softly, slowly taking her tiara and veil off as he kissed her.

"Thank you," Mokuba replied after he kissed her, and then started to undress himself, starting with removing the jacket, tie, and vest.

"Here, let me help you," Sophia offered as she came close to him and started to help him remove each layer, both of them getting excited as they both peeled away his ice blue shirt and his silver pants, socks and shoes, leaving him only in his boxers.

" _Here it comes!" Their inner selves exclaimed in glee._ Mokuba then came close to Sophia and caressed the skin on her shoulders down to her breasts, before reaching around her back and unclasped her strapless bra. He pulled it away and Sophia gasped sharply when her large, engorged breasts were released. They bounced for a moment before settling on her chest. Mokuba's soft, steel-grey eyes lit up in glee as he admired her breasts and then caressed and squeezed them. Sophia moaned and arched up a little to his hands, enjoying the fondling. Mokuba's penis hardened a little more as he enjoyed fondling her breasts. He kissed her breasts and decided to try suckling them. He picked her right breast to start with, and Sophia moaned a little louder and arched up more, gripping his shaggy, black hair.

"Oh Mokuba!" Sophia exclaimed softly.

"Mmm," Mokuba moaned as he suckled, and then tasted a rich creamy liquid from her breasts. He realized it was her breastmilk, and he actually liked it. After suckling on her right breast, he then moved to the other breast and suckled from there too. Sophia gripped his hair tighter, and was moaning.

"That feels so good Mokuba," Sophia told him, and started to feel wet.

"I'm glad," Mokuba replied with a smile as he pulled away from her breast. He then kissed her rippling pregnant belly, where their son was kicking gently. Sophia smiled at him as he kissed her belly.

"Hi Vincent," Mokuba told her belly and rubbed it. Vincent kicked a little more, and Mokuba smiled. Sophia winced, but smiled. Mokuba then slid her panties down off her hips, and down her creamy, pale legs, exposing her vulva and leaving her completely naked. He grew more excited, and his penis was hard and throbbing now under his boxers. It was desperate to be released. Sophia blushed a little as his roving steel-grey eyes admired her naked body.

" _She is so stunning!" Mokuba's inner self exclaimed with a sigh._

" _Our turn!" Sophia's inner self exclaimed gleefully as she approached Mokuba and gently slid his boxers down off his hips._ Mokuba moaned a bit as his boxers went over his throbbing penis, and then it was freed! Mokuba's circumcised 6-inch penis sprang free and bounced for a moment, before settling on being straight and erect, while Sophia slid his boxers down his, long, lean legs. She rose up and then admired his perfect, lean, naked body. Mokuba smiled at her as she admired his body, from his shaggy, raven black hair, his delighted, steel-grey eyes, his radiant smile, his strong shoulders, his lean torso and abs, his lean hips, his glorious penis, and down his long, lean legs, down to his feet.

" _Damn he is so sexy and perfect!" Sophia's inner self exclaimed. "Mmm, Mmm, MMM, mmm," she moaned._ Mokuba pulled Sophia close, and kissed her passionately. His hands wandered over her soft curves, and the more he touched her, the harder his penis became. In turn, Sophia let her hands wander over his lean, muscular body, and grew wetter. She then had an idea.

"Honey?" Sophia asked, punctuating the kiss with a pause.

"Hmm?" Mokuba asked.

"How about we make love in the bath? It would be really relaxing," Sophia suggested. Mokuba smiled.

"Sure honey, that sounds great," Mokuba agreed and wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the bathroom and ran a warm bath for them. While they waited for the tub to fill with the warm water, they resumed kissing passionately and hungrily, while caressing each other's bodies. Mokuba then parted the kiss when the water was at a good level, got towels, washcloths, shampoo, conditioner, and the soap ready. He also removed her glasses and then he stepped into the warm water first and moaned in pleasure at how good it felt. He held out his hand to help his beloved wife in. Sophia smiled, took his hand and stepped into the tub with him. Mokuba slowly sat down in the tub while holding her hand to keep her braced, and lifted his hips up for her to comfortably lower herself onto him. Sophia smiled, held onto his hand and then slowly lowered herself down, and onto his penis, with her back against his chest. Both Sophia and Mokuba moaned in pleasure, and then relaxed into the water.

"Oh Sophia, you feel so good," Mokuba said softly into her ear.

"So do you Mokuba," Sophia replied and lay against him. She loved how his penis felt so strong inside her and filled her. Mokuba and Sophia then tilted their torsos so they could kiss passionately as she lay on top of him in the water. After Sophia and Mokuba had kissed passionately for a bit and were still kissing, Mokuba wrapped his arms around her and started to gently fondle her breasts again with one hand, while the other made its way to her vulva and found her clitoris and started rubbing. Sophia moaned into the kiss and bucked up into his hands, and against his penis.

"Oh Mokuba!" Sophia moaned.

"Oh Sophia," Mokuba moaned as he moved with her, the water sloshing a bit around them. Sophia decided he should be able to have some pleasurable touching too, so she snaked a hand under his between her legs, and found his testicles in the water. She squeezed and kneaded them gently, causing Mokuba to gasp and buck into her.

"Oh my God! Sophia!" Mokuba moaned and continued to rub and fondle her more, earning more moans and bucks into his hands.

"Oh My God! Mokuba!" Sophia exclaimed and was going crazy. Symbiotically, she started squeezing and kneading his testicles more, making him moan louder and buck to her hand. He started rubbing and fondling harder, and in turn, she squeezed and kneaded harder on him. The water sloshed about them wildly, but thankfully stayed at a level that didn't come out of the tub. They were both going crazy with erotic pleasure and were starting to feel like they were turning into jellyfish and floating into space, being only lightly tethered to their bodies. They were getting so close!

"Oh Sophia, I really can't take much more! I'm so close!" Mokuba whined desperately.

"Me too Mokuba!" Sophia moaned. Mokuba stopped fondling her breasts, and then moved that hand to her hips and started to rub her clitoris even more vigorously. Sophia had to stop squeezing and kneading his testicles and brace herself against the edges of the tub because she was going utterly crazy. She and Mokuba were moaning loudly in desperation for the sweet release of orgasm. Mokuba was desperate to try and get her to orgasm first because he couldn't last much longer.

" _Please Sophia! Please hurry and orgasm!" Mokuba's inner self begged desperately._ After a few minutes of rubbing with desperate vigor, Sophia finally gasped and froze, and then relaxed as she orgasmed around him and was panting and floating in space. Mokuba growled and cried out as he exploded into her. Mokuba relaxed and was panting and also was floating in space. His jellyfish-like arms and legs then found Sophia and gently wrapped around her, pulling her close so they could float together. As Mokuba and Sophia slowly returned to the present moment, Mokuba started to caress Sophia's skin, ignoring the pruny sensations caused by the water. Sophia smiled in pleasure and rested against him, and then winced as she could feel Vincent's wild kicking.

"Honey? Are you ok?" Mokuba asked.

"Vincent is kicking wildly," Sophia explained and sandwiched his hands between hers and her belly. Mokuba felt the kicking too.

"Wow! He's really going wild!' Mokuba observed and started to rub her belly to calm him down. It took a few minutes before Vincent did calm down as Mokuba rubbed her belly. Sophia enjoyed the rubbing too, and then felt chilled. The water had cooled significantly since they had been in the tub. Mokuba held her close to him, sat up, and pulled the drainplug to let the cold water drain out. When it had, he replaced the drainplug and filled the tub again with warm water, all the while caressing and kissing his sweet wife. He still couldn't believe she was his wife, and he was her husband, and Sophia felt the same way. She finally and officially with legal documentation had a permanent family where she was loved and cherished, and she felt so lucky to have a husband like Mokuba. He could've had ANY woman he wanted, and he picked her.

After the water had filled the tub again, Mokuba had gently gotten her off his penis, and started to gently rinse her hair and lather it with shampoo, then conditioner, rinsing in between. Sophia felt so relaxed and pampered. After rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, Sophia lathered up some soap on a washcloth and started to gently wash her body. Sophia felt like she was getting a massage.

" _He sure knows how to take good care of you," Sophia's inner self told her as she was relaxed with pleasure and bliss._

" _Mhm," Sophia agreed_. When she was rinsed off, she gently rinsed Mokuba's thick, shaggy, raven black hair and started to lather his hair with shampoo, then conditioner, with a rinse in between. Mokuba also felt utterly relaxed and pleasured as she washed his hair, and even more so as she gently lathered his body with the soap. This bath was such a great idea. Mokuba pulled the drainplug again, shook his hair against her playfully, like a dog.

"Mokuba!" Sophia exclaimed as she tried to shield herself with her hands and chuckled as he splashed her. Mokuba chuckled and kissed her a moment before standing up and then helping her up. He grabbed a towel and handed it to her and then grabbed his own towel and they started drying themselves off. Mokuba then opened the door, picked up Sophia, and carried her to the bed. He pulled the covers down, made a sort of nest for her belly to be more comfortable and got in the bed next to her and her nest. Sophia loved how he was so thoughtful to make her feel more comfortable. Once they were settled in, Mokuba pulled the covers over them and held her close. Sophia smiled at her husband as she was able to gaze into his soft, loving, steel-grey eyes, even though they weren't exactly clear right now, but oh well. Mokuba caressed her face as he started into her soft, beautiful jade green eyes, and felt utterly happy. He gave Sophia another kiss, and then she drifted off to sleep, with him following right after. He had never been happier than he was right now.

* * *

 **END OF SEX SCENE #2.**

 **WE WILL NOW RESUME OUR STORY IN PROGRESS.**

* * *

9:00 p.m.

After sleeping peacefully for a few hours, Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba started to stir, and Misty heard notifications on her phone. She got out of bed and checked her phone and was surprised. There were tons of messages on her phone. She opened her text messages and saw frantic texts from her friends and family, particularly her parents and brother. They were pissed!

"Honey?" Seto asked softly as he noticed she wasn't lying next to him, but was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her phone, still naked. Seto moved the covers off of him and sat on the edge of the bed with her and kissed her and held her close. "What's up?" Seto asked.

"My family, especially my mom, dad, and Wes, and my friends are pissed off," Misty explained as she showed him the angry messages demanding she talk to them. She also listened to the angry voicemails that told her they needed to speak with her immediately after finding out about their marriage through the Trending Topics on Facebook. "They found out about our wedding through Facebook," Misty explained. Misty checked Facebook with Seto looking over her shoulder to see the trending topic, and found it. It read "Seto and Mokuba Kaiba" in bold, and directly underneath it read "Seto and Mokuba Kaiba marry pregnant fiancées on Marriage Island in San Antonio, TX, on Halloween." Misty clicked the bolded letters and brought up a litany of posts about their wedding. They saw the videos and photos of their wedding this afternoon, along with her family and friends' shocked and happy reactions, she saw Rosa, Roland, Hari, Edward, and the rest of the staff's posts expressing joy and sadness (sadness for not being able to be there in person to see it), and of course fans and haters and their expressions of joy, shock, and some anger/disgust.

"Wow," Misty and Seto exclaimed and then knocked on the wall to wake Mokuba and Sophia up. Mokuba and Sophia were already awake, so Mokuba got up and knocked back to say they were awake and then sent a message.

"Hey, what's up?" Mokuba asked.

"We're a trending topic on Facebook for our wedding this afternoon. Check it out," Misty wrote back. Immediately, Mokuba got Sophia's glasses from the bathroom, let her put them on, and got on his phone and sat in bed with Sophia as they looked up the trending topic.

"Whoa!" Mokuba and Sophia exclaimed as they saw the litany of posts. After a bit of scrolling through the posts, Misty and Mokuba clicked back to exit out to their feed screens and turned off the app. Misty then called her parents and brother in a conference call and got an earful from them. They were upset they got married, without them knowing until now, and that they weren't worthy of knowing from them personally; they had to find out through FACEBOOK. Misty explained her reasoning- She couldn't tell them because they would have ruined it by stopping it. She had to make this decision on her own for hers, Seto's, and the babies' sakes, and she wasn't going to let anything, even them, stand in her way, and it was a way to say "you will either accept me and my new family as a package deal, or you will lose us for good. You will not separate us again. Nobody will. Plus, we now have power to make important medical decisions for each other." They wanted to protest, but they couldn't; they didn't want to lose her, or the babies either. She was deadly serious. Misty then placated them that they could have another ceremony and reception for them in which they could participate, in the springtime, after the babies were born. They agreed, and Misty told them she loved them and bade them goodnight, for she and her family were going to enjoy the rest of their Halloween, and their honeymoon week. After she hung up with them, she sighed heavily, but she felt better.

"Are you okay?" Seto asked gingerly as he held her.

"Yeah. Just glad that conversation is over with," Misty replied and kissed him, and felt the babies kicking. Seto rubbed her belly and talked to them to calm them down, but they still kicked. Misty grimaced. "I think they're hungry." In response, both hers and Seto's stomachs grumbled.

"Do you feel like ordering in, or going out?" Seto asked as he caressed her back.

"Let's go to Mi Tierra before we have to get ready to go clubbing tonight," Misty answered.

"Mi Tierra again?" Seto asked.

"Well it's close and always open," Misty pointed out.

"Alright. Let's get dressed," Seto replied and they started to get dressed in casual outfits. Misty then called Mokuba through Messenger.

"Hey Misty, what's up?" Mokuba answered.

"Hey, Seto and I are going to Mi Tierra to eat something, then we're going to come back and get ready to go clubbing and participate in the costume contest," Misty told him. "Do you want to join us?"

"Yeah, okay. Just give us a few minutes to get dressed and we'll join you," Mokuba replied.

"Okay, and we're just wearing casual clothes right now," Misty told him and they hung up.

"We're getting dressed to get some food with Misty and Seto," Mokuba told Sophia.

"Oh! Excellent! I'm starving, and so is Vincent!" Sophia exclaimed and she and Mokuba got dressed into casual clothes. When they finished, they got their purses, keys, and other necessaries, put the Do Not Disturb signs inside, made sure the rooms were secure, and started walking to Mi Tierra. It was pretty quiet in the restaurant, so they were able to order quickly. When their server had brought them their drinks and food, she recognized them.

"Hey, y'all just got married today, didn't y'all?" the server asked.

"Yep. How did you know?" Misty asked.

"I saw it on Facebook. It was a beautiful ceremony. Congratulations!" the server replied.

"Thank you," Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia replied with a smile. They dug into their food happily and it really hit the spot. The babies immediately calmed down. When they had finished with the food, the server brought them a couple slices of cake with a couple rings drawn on them in frosting, and a smattering of sprinkles.

"They're on the house, as a way of saying congratulations on your wedding," the server told them.

"Well, thank you!" Misty, Sophia, Seto, and Mokuba exclaimed.

"Would you mind taking video of us feeding each other the cake?" Misty requested.

"Sure!" the server cheerfully agreed and took Misty's phone after she got the video function ready. They each stabbed a piece of the cake, and Mokuba and Seto fed Sophia and Misty the cake respectively, being kind enough to not smash it in their faces. In turn, Sophia and Misty fed the cake to Mokuba and Seto respectively and respectfully. The server stopped recording and handed Misty's phone back.

"Thank you," Misty replied with a smile and they enjoyed the cake. The server then brought the check and Seto paid for it.

"Thanks honey," Misty told Seto with a kiss.

"Thanks Seto," Mokuba and Sophia chimed in.

"You're welcome," Seto replied. They got up and left back to the hotel. Sophia got her makeup bag and things from Misty and Seto's room, and returned to her room with Mokuba. The four of them took off their casual clothes and dressed into their wedding clothes. Sophia and Misty then did their hair and makeup while Mokuba and Seto watched in admiration. When they were ready, Seto had taken the certificates out of his pocket and replaced it with the room keys, his phone, id, and some cash. Mokuba had also put his room keys, phone, id, and some cash in his pocket, while Misty and Sophia put their ids, phones, cash, and lipsticks in their small purses. They made sure the room was secured again and then hailed a Lyft to the Bonham Exchange, San Antonio's oldest and hottest nightclub that was accepting of everyone, LGBTQ, or straight. Misty paid for the ride, and she and Seto got in for free while Sophia and Mokuba paid their $5 covers since they were still minors. The cashier and bouncers looked at Misty and Sophia suspiciously, seeing their pregnant bellies.

"Go ahead and mark us. We're not drinking, for obvious reasons. We just want to dance and participate in the costume contest," Misty told them and they marked hers and Sophia's hands with a black X to indicate not to serve them alcohol. It was still fairly early, so it wasn't too crowded. Eventually, more people came. They scanned the dance floor and danced a little bit, having a blast, and when they announced the costume contest sign-up, Misty led them over to the sign-up and put their names down as a group costume- The Royal Court of the Blue Eyes White Dragons/Blue Eyes White Dragon Brides and Grooms. The DJ got on the mic and got everyone to congratulate them, especially since they were pretty much celebrity guests. Misty then decided to make a simple request: a single song, just for them, for their first dance.

"Sure!" The DJ agreed. Misty requested Bruno Mars's "Rest of My Life", and the DJ got it ready and announced a spotlight dance just for Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba for their first dance. Seto and Mokuba felt a little awkward with the attention, but they paid it no mind; they were too focused on their brides and their first dance. Seto and Mokuba actually had to admit the lyrics were pretty perfect: Misty sure had great musical taste and always knew the right songs to play. After their dance, there was loud applause and congratulatory whistling. Seto and Mokuba gave Misty and Sophia a kiss and earned more applause and cheering. Then, the dance floor filled with people again, some even doing dollar dances with Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba, paying them each a dollar for a regular and respectful waltz, and at midnight, they started the contest. Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba got in line, and then did a graceful move when it was their turn to be paraded in front of the guests. Sure, the other people in costumes were a stiff competition, but thankfully, Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba earned quite a bit of cheers and applause when they were announced. They were then in the top contenders, and everyone voted for them with thunderous applause and cheers. Misty beamed with joy, and her joy was infectious and spread to Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba. They were awarded $500 for a prize (which was handed to Seto) and given black and orange BEST COSTUME sashes. They took pictures, signed tax paperwork for their prize, danced for a bit more, and then hailed another Lyft back to the hotel. This time, Seto paid for the ride, and they went up to their rooms. Misty and Sophia started removing their makeup, and they all changed for bed and got back under the covers and gazed into their loves' eyes, before drifting off to a blissful sleep. This, by far, was the best Halloween EVER.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter update. Now, for them to enjoy married life, get everything on track, and prepare for the babies' arrival. FYI, there won't be anymore lemons for this story, as the next few chapters may be the last (unless y'all want me to continue with adventures featuring the children. If y'all want me to continue with adventures featuring the children growing up, then maybe we'll see). Any future mention of lovemaking at this point will be brief.

Don't forget, new reviews=new chapters released as soon as I'm finished writing them.


	18. Settling In

**A/N:** Hello my dear fans! Can y'all believe it's Thanksgiving already?! Let's give thanks for all the blessings we have, and a new chapter update!

Special thanks go to Retsag for their review of ch. 5. (A review is a review, and I did promise immediate release of chapter updates if I got new reviews, no?)

Just an FYI, this chapter is a bit shorter, and a bit quicker.

 **Just so we're clear,** I was doing my best to keep flow to the story, and describe events in November in Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia's lives.

I did a part on citizenship as portrayed as best I could with the research I had done on the subject (though it may not be reflected completely accurately) because it is a necessary step to move forward in their lives at this moment. For story's sake, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia were lucky, had money saved up over the months, had Misty's help, and also money they won. They are dual citizens.

I had also briefly mentioned the election (because elections happen in November), but notice I kept it pretty vague and general so it could apply to anyone at any time. **We are NOT discussing politics here.** It was just an event that happened within the story. **  
**

In other news, the next three chapters or so after this one will likely be the last, unless y'all want me to continue on with more chapters showing drama while the babies are growing up. Otherwise, I will be starting on a brand new story.

With all that being said, enjoy this chapter and Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to review! New reviews=new chapters being immediately released.

* * *

The next morning…

After enjoying a hearty breakfast of breakfast tacos at Bill Miller's, Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia caught a bus to City Hall to file away the marriage licenses. After they had filed them, Misty pulled up an activity guide on her phone to help them decide what they should see and do today as they stood on the edge of S. Flores street. Misty looked up towards Dolorosa Street getting a sense of her bearings, and because she had this funny feeling too, which made her shudder.

"You okay?" Seto asked as he notice the shudder. Just as he asked that, a car had gone through the light legally, when a speeding car blazed through the red light on S. Flores and T-boned the legal car on the driver's side and sent it tumbling onto Military Plaza. The sound of metal and glass crunching screeched in their ears and made them flinch. Thankfully, the car landed right side up. Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba all gasped in horror and they all started hurrying toward the wreck to see if the people were ok. Since Misty had a local number on her cell phone, she frantically called 911 as they were running as fast as they could manage without hurting the babies.

"911, what is your emergency? Do you need police, fire, or EMS?" the dispatcher asked.

"I think we'll need all three… we just saw… a car… speeding through the red light… on S. Flores and Dolorosa T-bone a car in the driver's side that was traveling legally! We're on the way there!" Misty told the dispatcher, her words punctuated by her panting as they ran.

"Ok, we'll send police, fire, and EMS there," the dispatcher replied.

"Thank you! Oh, I hope they're ok," Misty replied.

"Me too," the dispatcher replied and hung up and sent an alert on the scanners to the police, fire department, and EMS.

Meanwhile, Misty threw her phone in her purse as she kept running and soon they made it to the scene of the wreck. They were the first ones there. Mokuba went to check on the driver of the car that blazed through the red while Seto and Misty went to the car that was travelling legally through the green light, while Sophia stood on the curb watching, as per Mokuba's orders. She wanted to help but didn't know what to do, especially as more people were coming to help. Mokuba got to the car that sped through the red light, and saw the person, a teenage girl not much younger than him or Sophia, slumped over the airbag of the steering wheel, with her arms broken, and a phone in her hand with the texting screen open. Mokuba felt for a pulse and found one. He sighed in relief.

"Seto, Misty, this girl is alive!" Mokuba called to them. Misty and Seto were relieved to hear that at least.

"Good," Misty called back. Mokuba went and stood with Sophia and watched with her, unsure of what to do.

Misty and Seto then saw a horrifying sight in the car that was traveling legally… a family of three… a father, a mother, and a baby boy in the backseat who was crying hysterically. Misty immediately went to the mother, who was in the front passenger seat. Seto was checking on the father, who was all smashed up from the impact and had glass embedded in his bloody face. There was a look of horror etched on his face and his green eyes, and Seto tentatively looked for a pulse, but found none. He gasped in horror, and his cobalt eyes were wide, as he had flashbacks of when his father died in the accident, and the fact that the same thing could happen to him and Misty, or Mokuba and Sophia. He shook his head violently, desperately trying to get that image out of his head, and went to Misty's side and saw the mother.

"Please…" the mother said as she saw Misty and Seto through her busted window. She was bloody, and shaking, her black hair was bloody and matted, and she also had broken bones and glass embedded in her skin, making her bleed out. She shakily took Misty's hand. "P-p-please…t-take…m-my s-son…J-James… be…his mommy..., and…d-daddy...f-f-for me…and…m-my…h-husband…he…was born… t-two…days ago…at…10…45… a.m.…. please…f-from…one…m-mom…to another…" the mother begged, her brown eyes wide with desperation. Her son needed to go to a home that would love him, and these were definitely good people. They were the first ones here, compassion radiated off of them like a heater, and there was a light, ethereal glow she could see around them. She figured her baby would be in good hands with this couple at her door.

"He will be well taken care of," Misty promised. The mother nodded and sighed in relief and closed her eyes in peace, and her hand went limp. Misty moved her hand back in the car in a natural position and sighed heavily. The baby, James, as his mother called him, was still crying shrilly, and Seto managed to get the door open to the backseat, and thankfully there were just scratches on this poor baby. Seto fumbled with the car seat to get him free, and pulled him out with his blanket and bag. He was still so tiny. He handed James to Misty, who held him close to her body, and positioned him so his arms were crossed at his chest, put her right hand over his arms, against his chest, and her thumb and middle finger were at the sides of his neck, and the webbed curve between her thumb and index fingers were right in front of his chin, while her left hand held his bottom, and she held him close to her body for extra support. She rocked his bottom gently, and soon James started to calm down.

"Wow! It really does work!" Misty remarked astounded. She had seen the video of the doctor holding tiny babies like this, and the babies calmed right down, especially after getting shots.

"Wow indeed," Seto agreed. As he watched his beloved wife holding James, he was amazed once again by her maternal instincts; she was so natural with babies, and he couldn't wait to see her holding their own. James was so relaxed in her hold. Then, the words of the mother started to ring in his ears and haunt him.

" _P-p-please…t-take…m-my s-son…J-James… be…his mommy..., and…d-daddy...f-f-for me…and…m-my…h-husband…" the mother's words echoed in his ears._ And then Misty's promise, _"He will be well taken care of,"_ Did she really mean that?

" _Of course, she means what she says. When hasn't she?" Seto's inner self asked._

" _That's true," Seto agreed and refocused on the moment_. Misty had James so relaxed in her arms, and Seto wondered where the emergency services were. He held the bag and the blanket, and led Misty and James to the curb, making sure they were safe.

"Who's this?" Sophia asked as she and Mokuba saw James.

"His mother said his name was James, and he was born two days ago, at 10:45 a.m., and he was in the car we checked on. His mother begged us to take him, and Misty promised he'd be well taken care of, and then the mother passed away," Seto explained.

"Oh, that poor baby," Sophia remarked.

"Yeah. Hello, James," Mokuba said gently to James with a smile. "Are we keeping him?" Mokuba asked.

"No," Misty answered grimly.

"What?! But you promised he'd be well taken care of?" Seto reminded her shocked.

"I know what I said, but I never said WE were taking care of him," Misty replied.

"Why can't we?" Seto demanded, feeling hurt. He didn't want this baby to end up in the orphanage. It brought back painful memories.

"Yeah, why not?" Mokuba asked, also feeling hurt and the sting of the memories that resurfaced. He hated the orphanage as much as Seto did. Misty repositioned James so he was in the crook of her arms against her body.

"Seto, Mokuba, we can't afford to take him… we already have three babies on the way, and we have to be careful with our money now. We need that money to get a house for a few months, food, pay bills, get baby supplies and furniture for our babies that are coming, and immigration paperwork. We don't have the money to take care of an extra baby," Misty reasoned with them gently. She knew they were upset, but the fact was, they really couldn't take him. She would have loved to have been able to keep him, but he deserved a better life than the ones they could offer right now. Seto and Mokuba felt their hearts break for James. They wanted to take him so badly, and save him from being in a hellhole orphanage or home where he could be abused. They had read the news, and there were far too many disturbing abuse and abandonment cases here in town, and they didn't want him to be part of that, but Misty was right… they couldn't afford to take him. Seto and Mokuba were clearly upset and wanted to break down, but they couldn't, not here.

"Here, I'll let y'all hold him at least," Misty said gently as she handed James to Seto. James looked up at him with brown and green eyes, and Seto felt his heart break a little more.

Just then, the paramedics, police, and fire department pulled up, and Misty and Sophia went to explain everything to the police and fire department while the paramedics searched for the bodies they could save. They found the teenage girl, saw her phone, and had the firefighters cut her out with the Jaws of Life and got her on a gurney and rushed her to the ambulance and rushed her to the hospital with the lights and sirens flashing and blaring. Seto and Mokuba stood on the curb, taking turns holding James while their wives talked to the police. At least they were able to hold him.

While Misty and Sophia talked with an officer and a firefighter, another officer called the coroner to take the mother and father away, after covering them in yellow tarps, and marked the scene with yellow, plastic number tents, while a crime scene photographer took pictures of the scene. The firefighters got the mother and father out of the car after the photographer took pictures of their covered bodies in the car. The firefighters laid them on the street by the car so the coroner would have an easier time getting them. Once the officer had finished speaking with the coroner, he called a couple tow trucks, and then helped interview other witnesses. After Misty and Sophia explained what they saw, they led the officer and firefighter where Seto and Mokuba were standing, this time with Mokuba holding James.

"Our husbands were involved too," Misty told the officer and firefighter "And, this baby was in the backseat. His mother said his name is James, he was born two days ago, at 10:45 a.m., and she wanted me and my husband to take him as our own, but unfortunately, we can't keep him… we have three babies on the way already, and we can't afford another one...The best thing to do is to ensure he goes to a good family," Misty explained. Hearing Misty say it again hurt Seto and Mokuba more, almost feeling like a knife was being twisted in their hearts, but they knew she didn't mean to do that; she was just getting the officer and the firefighter up to speed. The crime scene photographer took a picture of James resting comfortably in Mokuba's arms and a depressed look on Seto's and Mokuba's faces. The officer got their accounts of what happened, and then readied to take James.

"Please…promise us one thing…" Seto begged the officer and firefighter.

"What is it?" the firefighter asked gently.

"Please…promise us…he will go to a good home… tell whoever is in charge of him…to do thorough background checks… on whoever comes to adopt him… and make sure he is well taken care of, while he is at the orphanage or wherever he goes…" Seto begged.

"We will do our best to make sure he is put into a good home," the police officer assured Seto.

"And please… have the orphanage… or wherever, email me updates about him," Seto requested and told the police officer his email address. Misty and Sophia were stunned at how emotional this made Seto and Mokuba.

Seto and Mokuba took a deep breath before Mokuba reluctantly handed James to the officer, while Seto handed over his blanket and bag.

"You'll be hearing from us about testifying in court about what happened," the officer told them. They nodded solemnly and watched as the coroner and tow trucks arrived and started investigating and cleaning up the street respectively.

A firefighter put James's carseat in the backseat of the cruiser, and the officer carrying James and his things went to the cruiser and put him in, and sat with him while the other officer finished up. The other officer got in the driver's seat of the cruiser, and drove carefully off to the station. Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia were released from the scene, and Misty knew they wouldn't be up for doing anything today. Misty interlaced her hand with Seto's, and Sophia interlaced her hand with Mokuba's and led them like officers dragging prisoners with handcuffs to the bus stop. Seto and Mokuba couldn't stop thinking about James and where he would end up, and they felt terrible. It brought back so many painful memories, in particular the day they lost their father and their family stole their inheritance and dumped them at the orphanage's doorstep. They stared out the window morosely as the bus took them to their hotel. Then, Misty and Sophia had to lead them off the bus and to Seto's and Misty's room. Misty told Sophia she was going to order pizza for them to eat, and Sophia nodded.

"Good idea," Sophia agreed. Misty used the keycard and unlocked the room, and let them in. Misty had them sit on the bed and she and Sophia sat with them after leaving their purses on the dresser by the TV. Seto and Mokuba then wrapped their arms around their wives and held them close and just broke down crying. They had been holding it since the accident. Misty and Sophia held them tight and cried with them.

"It's not fair!" Seto and Mokuba cried.

"We know," Misty and Sophia said gently and rubbed their backs soothingly.

"What if he doesn't get adopted?! What if he is abused, like we were?!" Seto and Mokuba exclaimed.

"Oh, honey, please talk to us," Misty encouraged Seto.

"What happened?" Sophia asked Mokuba gently.

"When Mokuba and I were little, I was 8, he was 2, our father was killed in a car accident on his way home from work… then our family… stole our inheritance… and dumped Mokuba and I off at the orphanage… we were abused there…" Seto explained.

"And I was bullied, a lot, because I was so small… but Seto protected me…" Mokuba added.

"Everyone wanted to adopt me, but not Mokuba, and I wasn't going to let them…" Seto continued. "They didn't want both of us… and then they stopped trying…"

"We dreamed we would get out and someday build KaibaLand…" Mokuba added.

"Then, when I was 12, and Mokuba was 6…I saw Gozaburo Kaiba on TV… he was a famous CEO of Kaiba Corp., when it was war machines and military weaponry…he had just won a chess match… I knew I could beat him… I had to challenge him… he would be our ticket out of that hellhole and to a better life… and when I heard he was coming to the orphanage for a photo op visit, I had my chance.

I challenged him and made a bet with him… If I won, he'd adopt both of us. I won, of course, and he reluctantly made good on his promise, but it was an absolute nightmare… he was abusive, had no love, compassion, or anything, just a love for business, money, and war… He forced me to learn the business with cruel, inhumane torture, and he kept me and Mokuba apart, 90% of the time…

Those scars on my back are from when his servant whipped and tortured me… Mokuba was the only thing that kept me going… if he wasn't there, I'd probably have been dead.

I tried to propose ideas to make the company profitable, but then he stole my ideas. Then, we came up with a plan… to get 51% of the shares. Gozaburo put me to the test…he gave me $10 million to invest, and I had to pay him back with $100 million within a year in order to inherit the company. I found a company that valued its employees, I took over, and earned the $100 million within a few days. I came back, and I knew he was going to weasel out, so I had to pretend Mokuba sold me out, which hurt me worse than it did him, so he'd run to him crying. He did, and Gozaburo gave him the 2% stock tie-breaker.

I was so glad he forgave me and gave me his 2% so we could take over. When we did, Gozaburo couldn't take it, and he killed himself, and we were finally free of cruelty, and I could do the company MY way with Mokuba's help.

We were confronted with our past again when we faced his real son, Noah, and Gozaburo's sycophants, the Big 5, his business partners, in the virtual realm, and I also had to battle a digital version of Gozaburo. We escaped in time and beat him. We never thought our miserable, tortured past would come back to haunt us like it did today," Seto explained tearfully.

"When we saw that couple, it reminded me of when my father died in the accident, but this was worse because the mother was there too, and James was a newborn. Mokuba and I wanted to take him and adopt him so he'd never have to suffer the way we did. He would've been loved and cherished," Seto added.

"Oh, honey," Misty said compassionately and hugged him tight from the side. Seto held her tight and let tears fall into her hair and shoulders.

"And when you were telling the officer about why…we couldn't take him… it hurt us so much worse… but we knew you were right…We can't afford him..." Mokuba added. Misty sighed and they all did a group hug, in silence, for a good, long while. To make them feel better, Misty and Sophia got out of their arms for a minute, and then sat with their backs against their husbands' chests, and put their hands on their bellies so they could feel their own babies kicking. Seto and Mokuba tenderly stroked their wives' rippling bellies and felt comforted by their babies' movements.

"Let's focus on giving them their best life possible, first," Misty said softly. Seto and Mokuba nodded and then Seto tensed up a little.

"Honey?" Misty asked gently. "What's wrong?"

"The couple in that car… also made me worried… what if… that happened to us? Or to Mokuba and Sophia?" Seto pointed out.

"Yes, it might, there is that possibility, but we have to think positive, or worrying is going to steal our joy and peace. Frankly, I have a feeling we're going to be old together before we die," Misty reassured them. Seto and Mokuba took a breath and thought about it, and it made them feel better. Misty thought of something else that might make them feel better.

"Ok, I'll tell you what. IF James is still there at the orphanage or wherever he is when we have everything back on track and it's determined we can afford him, we can go adopt him, and Josh and Angelbella, or Vincent, can have a big brother. Do we have a deal?" Misty offered.

"Promise?" Seto and Mokuba asked.

"Yes, but that's IF he's still there at that time," Misty emphasized.

"Deal," Seto and Mokuba agreed. A wave of relief washed over them like a tidal wave. It was a little longer than they'd liked, but at least they could adopt him in a few months, if he was still there. A part of them hoped he would still be there, but the other part of them hoped somebody special would adopt him.

Just then, their stomachs rumbled from hunger, and the babies were kicking more because they were hungry too.

"Let's order a pizza," Misty suggested and called for a couple Domino's pizzas and some Sprite to be delivered to the room. Meanwhile, Misty turned on the TV so they could watch it and relax, and called for some disposable plates, napkins, and cups to be brought to the room. Within a few minutes, a housekeeping attendant brought the items she requested, and then they waited for the pizza and soda.

When it came, Misty answered the door and gave the delivery guy a tip and put the pizzas and soda on the table and Seto noticed the name on the box.

"Domino's hmm?" Seto asked curiously.

"Yes, nothing gets past you, honey," Misty replied slightly teasingly.

"Did you pick that on purpose?'

"Yes, I did. One, I like their pizzas, and two, I figured y'all would catch it and it would earn a chuckle, especially after y'all were so gloomy," Misty answered. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia did let out a little chuckle at the reminder of their home.

"I kinda miss Domino," Mokuba replied.

"Me too," Seto agreed.

"I know, I miss Domino too, but let's just enjoy our time in our other hometown," Misty encouraged. "We still have a lot more to see and experience."

"Yeah," Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia agreed and each took two slices of pizza, poured some Sprite, and enjoyed them. When they had finished and cleaned up and stored the rest of the pizza away, they climbed back into the bed with Misty and Sophia resuming their position with their backs against their husbands' chests, and Seto's and Mokuba's hands at their wives' rippling bellies. Josh, Angelbella, and Vincent had definitely calmed down a little after their mommies had eaten the pizza. Seto and Mokuba felt soothed again as they focused on their babies and their movements. Misty grabbed the remote and was channel surfing looking for something for them all to watch and relax to. She settled on a showing of Fools Rush In, and they enjoyed watching it together.

After the movie, Mokuba and Sophia went back to their own room to rest. Eventually, all of them decided to take a nap, and as Seto and Mokuba had drifted off to sleep, they were haunted by nightmares of the accident earlier today, replaying every horrifyingly vivid detail from the actual crash they'd seen, to leaving the scene, coupled with their anxiety about James possibly being abused. They woke up bolt upright panting and crying. Misty and Sophia stirred from their sleep hearing their husbands' crying and turned to them.

"Honey?" Both Misty and Sophia asked their husbands. Without a word, Seto immediately wrapped his arms around Misty, pulling her close and cried into her, while Mokuba did the same with Sophia. Both Misty and Sophia held them tight and gently stroked their hair and backs.

"It's ok," Misty and Sophia reassured them gently and they did their best to help their husbands calm down and relax again. "Everything's fine right now," they added and put their husbands' hands on their bellies again to further calm them down. Eventually, Seto and Mokuba had calmed down again.

"Thank you honey," both of them thanked their wives.

"Let's go back to sleep," Misty and Sophia suggested. Seto and Mokuba were reluctant to go back to sleep, but Misty and Sophia got comfortable in the bed and had Seto and Mokuba respectively hold them tight to help keep them calm as they drifted back to sleep. It definitely wasn't easy for Seto and Mokuba to sleep, but they were instantly calmed and comforted knowing they were holding their wives, and to an extent, their babies, tightly, and that they were safe. Holding them tightly helped chase the bad dreams away.

* * *

The next day, after getting dressed and getting a hearty breakfast and getting the proper documentation and money…

They got their passports and got a Lyft to the Immigration Office. They waited for hours and hours, and were starting to get irritable when they finally saw an official to help them. They calmed down as they went into the office. They explained in detail that they wanted to either get at least some resident visas for Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia to live and work here, for now, or to get green cards.

Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia told their story of how they came to be here in the United States, to get Misty back, and how because Misty and Sophia are so far in their pregnancies, it was advised that they don't travel until after the babies are born, and Seto and Mokuba wanted to do some independent business consulting to save up enough money to get Kaiba Corp and Kaiba Land back up and running. Misty also explained that Seto had married her, a U.S. Citizen, so he should get citizenship because of that. As proof of the marriage, she showed pictures and video of the wedding from Facebook, and a picture of the signed marriage certificates. Misty also explained that she was willing to sponsor Mokuba and Sophia to become citizens. They filled out the necessary paperwork, paid the necessary fees, and got the exam questions to help Mokuba and Sophia, and possibly Seto prepare. They set up another appointment to take the test at the end of the week (thankfully there was an opening they were able to snatch), and they could have a swearing in ceremony later. They got another Lyft back to the hotel, and Seto, Mokuba and Sophia looked at the long exam sheet with wide, almost horrified eyes. They had to know all that? True, they just needed to answer just 10 of these, 6 correctly to pass, but they didn't know which ones.

"Misty, you're going to have to coach us on these…" Mokuba told her. "How good are your civics?"

"I did well in school, including history and social studies, and of course I'll help you prepare," Misty promised. Seto, Mokuba and Sophia sighed in relief, confident that they would pass with her help.

While they were in the Lyft, stuck in traffic, Misty was going over some of the questions with them. When they got to the hotel, Seto paid the Lyft driver and they went up to Misty and Seto's room, got settled in, had some leftover pizza and Sprite, and studied together. Misty borrowed their phones and downloaded Quizlet on their phones, and found a study guide with the questions and answers and had them play around with it and study. When they were all studied out for the night, they relaxed with some TV.

* * *

The next day,

Misty had spent all day with Sophia, Mokuba, and Seto, quizzing them about U.S civics and history to be sure they were ready for ANY of the 100 questions tomorrow. Misty figured Seto might not need the test since he married her, but she wanted him to be prepared anyways. The only times they had stopped were to eat and use the restroom.

After quizzing them and preparing them all day, she was absolutely confident they would ace it. No matter the question, they would answer it correctly. The green cards were as good as theirs.

"I think you two are going to make a 10/10! This will be a piece of cake for y'all!" Misty assured them confidently.

"Thank you, Misty," Seto, Mokuba and Sophia replied with a smile, but inside they were nervous. They didn't want her efforts to be in vain, nor did they want to mess up in general; too much was at stake. Seto and Mokuba needed to start working so they could more money to get a rental home, food, and things for the babies, take care of their wives, and just to live while they worked to reopen Kaiba Corp and KaibaLand and get their fortune back.

When they went to bed, all Seto, Misty, and Sophia could think about was their citizenship interview test tomorrow.

" _Hey, everything is ok. You're going to ace it tomorrow! Misty is confident you will do great! She said so herself! Remember? She said 'I think you two are going to make a 10/10! This will be a piece of cake for y'all!'" Seto's, Mokuba's and Sophia's inner selves told them in their own words as they struggled to calm down and relax. It took a while, but eventually they did calm down enough to fall asleep._ However, their anxiety was rooted in their subconscious, and they had nightmares about missing the appointment or being super late, and just bombing, despite their inner selves trying to encourage and remind them otherwise.

* * *

The next morning,

Their alarms had sounded and woke them from their anxiety-riddled sleep. Of course, they were woken on time. They got ready and dressed in their nicest outfits, and Misty and Sophia had put on some makeup. After they had finished getting ready, they made sure they had all the necessary information and things to ensure everything went smoothly, and then caught another Lyft to the immigration office again. While in the car, Misty quizzed them again. When they arrived, they paid the driver and then checked in and waited.

"Y'all will be great," Misty assured them. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gave her a tight smile. "Let's pray," Misty suggested. They hesitated, but agreed, held hands, and bowed their heads.

"Heavenly Father, we praise You, magnify You, and glorify You. I ask that You help calm, and offer comfort and peace to Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia as they go in for their citizenship interview test. Please help them remember that they did so well with all the practice we did the last couple days and this morning that there is no other possible outcome than acing it. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen," Misty prayed aloud.

"Amen," Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia echoed.

"Answer me two questions," Misty began.

"What?" Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia asked curiously.

"Who are you? What is your name?" Misty asked.

"Seto Kaiba," Seto answered puzzled.

"Mokuba Kaiba," Mokuba answered puzzled.

"Sophia Kaiba," Sophia answered, also puzzled. Where was Misty going with this?

"Who are you?" Misty repeated with a little more power.

"Seto Kaiba," Seto repeated a little bit irritated.

"Mokuba Kaiba," Mokuba repeated wondering why she asked this again.

"Sophia Kaiba," Sophia answered a little bit confused.

Misty had kept asking them the same question with more and more power until they were almost roaring their names in irritation. Did Misty suddenly have dementia? Why was she asking this over and over with more and more power?

"Good, and are Kaibas intimidated by a little test they are sure to ace?" Misty asked. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia were taken aback a little as they realized she was trying to boost their confidence.

"No!" Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia exclaimed softly.

"Are Kaibas powerful, strong, and confident?" Misty asked them.

"Yes!" they exclaimed softly.

"Who's stronger? The Kaibas, or a test?" Misty asked.

"The Kaibas!" they answered in unison.

"Damn right!" Misty agreed. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia realized they were feeling infinitely much more confident now. Luckily, nobody else was bothered by their mini-pep rally. In fact, some of the other people also felt a bit more inspired just witnessing it and plugging in their own names, in their heads.

Soon, it was time for them to go back to do their interview/test, and the interviewer asked them the 10 questions while Misty watched and waited. One by one, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gave the correct answers to all 10 questions, and the interviewer happily told them they each had a perfect score, and then did the English test, which was even easier. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia also did a quick administrative ceremony with the interviewer where they read the Naturalization Oath with their right hands raised, which read:

 _"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."_

 _After reading the oath,_

"I am proud to announce, on behalf of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, that you are now officially United States citizens!" the interviewer exclaimed. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia gasped and exclaimed in excitement and then went over to Misty and group-hugged her. The interviewer then asked if there was an address where he could mail the cards.

"We are currently staying at a hotel, and we're looking for a place. I guess we can get a P.O. Box in the meantime, or you could mail it in my name to my mother's house," Misty suggested. "Can we get back to you on that?"

"Certainly, the sooner the better," the interviewer replied and gave Misty a business card to keep in contact.

"Thank you," Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia told their interviewer and they called a Lyft to take them back downtown.

To celebrate their newly acquired citizenship, they decided to go to Saltgrass Steakhouse. The Lyft dropped them outside and they went in and put their names on the list, and luckily, they were in time for the lunch specials. It wasn't long before they were seated. They browsed the menu, ordered, and enjoyed the hearty, campfire-style, and definitely Texan steaks, and toasted quietly amongst themselves to Misty for helping them get their citizenship. Misty blushed and smiled.

"Y'all are so welcome," Misty replied beaming proudly.

They boxed their leftovers to eat later, put them in a plastic bag with the Saltgrass logo, and caught a bus back to the hotel. Mokuba took Sophia to their room, while Seto helped Misty inside and they put their things down. Both Kaiba brothers had other ideas on what to do to celebrate their citizenship. They both hung the Do Not Disturb signs on their doors, and were focused on their beautiful wives.

"So, my love, I feel up for having another celebration," Seto told Misty with a lascivious and devious smirk and a naughty gleam in his sapphire eyes. He had been so stressed out the last few days, he seriously needed some carnal pleasure to release it. Misty chuckled and her lips were immediately captured in a passionate kiss. Seto removed their clothes and savored each inch of her exposed flesh before making hot, sweet, passionate love to her. They hardly noticed the babies' vigorous kicking; they were too lost in the vastness of their pleasure universe, being only lightly tethered to their bodies. After a little while, both orgasmed so intensely, it made them tremble as they lay in each other's arms.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Mokuba's and Sophia's room,

"Wow, I can't believe we're U.S. citizens," Mokuba remarked.

"I know, it's pretty exciting," Sophia agreed and hugged him. Mokuba hugged back and pressed her tighter.

"Feel up for a bit of fun to celebrate?" Mokuba asked and waggled his raven-black brows a little. Sophia giggled.

"Sure honey," Sophia agreed. Mokuba grinned and immediately started kissing Sophia, slow at first, and then with a fervent passion as he started to remove their clothes, and they explored each other's bodies again. Mokuba kissed her belly tenderly, earning some movement from Vincent, and then made love to her slow at first, but then their passion snowballed and they were moving vigorously, ignoring Vincent's wild kicking as they navigated their pleasure universe. After a little while, both of them orgasmed intensely. They were panting and kissing and then returned to their bodies and cuddled close.

* * *

The next day…

Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia had managed to get a hold of Misty's friend from college, Jane, who was a realtor. Jane was only too happy to help them find a rental house, in her mother's neighborhood. Jane decided to come and visit them in the hotel to talk with them and show them some listings.

When she came to Misty and Seto's room, she and Misty squealed and hugged as much as Misty's belly would allow.

"Oh my gosh! It's sooo good to see you! It's been so long!" Jane exclaimed.

"Yeah it has! We definitely need to hang out more!" Misty exclaimed.

"And look at you! You're pregnant and glowing! And I saw your wedding on Facebook. It was so sweet and romantic, and it was cool you got married on Halloween. I wish I could've been there," Jane gushed.

"Yeah, but on the bright side, we'll have another ceremony and reception in the springtime, so you can be present there," Misty promised.

"Yay!" Jane exclaimed happily, making Misty chuckle. Misty then invited her into the room.

"Jane, meet my husband Seto, and my brother and sister-in-law, Mokuba and Sophia," Misty introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you," Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia greeted and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you too," Jane replied with a smile and then turned to Seto.

"You be good to Misty. She is an amazing woman," Jane commanded in a sisterly tone.

"Oh, believe me he is," Misty assured her.

"Of course I am. I love her so much," Seto assured Jane and wrapped his arms around Misty lovingly.

"Good," Jane replied satisfied and then started showing them the renting listings in the neighborhood, pared down to their specifications Misty was excited to see that there was a house on her mother's street that was available for a rental lease, and it had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms on a single floor, and it was pet friendly, so Shadow could move in with them too, the rent was pretty reasonable, and it had a laundry area. True, they did have to stay there for a year, but they were fine with it. It would give them plenty of time to work on getting Kaiba Corp. and KaibaLand reopened remotely, they could get their consulting business started up and running pretty well for the year, and Misty's family could definitely bond with Josh, Angelbella, and Vincent during their first year, which was crucial. Jane set up a time for them to tour the house tomorrow and meet the landlord and they were all so excited.

* * *

The next day…

Jane had picked them up and took them to the house on Misty's mother's street to meet the landlord and have a tour. Misty and Seto had to admit, it did feel strange, but they were fine. Misty had felt strange because she had taken Lulu, Lucky, and occasionally Shadow on walks all down the street and passed this house often. She had never seen anybody really living there before, so it did feel a little surreal to be touring this house, and it was about to become theirs. Seto had felt weird being on his mother-in-law's street, considering how contentious she felt towards him at the moment. At least she was half a street away.

They finished the tour and negotiated with the landlord on an ideal rent and terms, and then signed the year-long lease contract with him. Jane then took a picture of Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia in the empty living room with the landlord shaking Seto's hand. Then they took a picture with Jane too, and of them just by themselves. Jane then took them back to the hotel and made arrangements to pick them up in a few days to get boxes and moving supplies together.

"Thanks, we really appreciate your help," Misty told Jane and hugged her.

"Yes, we do. Thank you," Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia echoed with a smile.

"Anytime! I'm glad I could help! We should definitely have a girls' night sometime," Jane suggested.

"Yeah, definitely," Misty agreed.

"Alright, see you in a few days!" Jane bade and then left. When Jane had left, Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia hugged each other excitedly. They had a home to stay in for a year! It was another big step in getting settled here for now. Tomorrow, they had plans to go to the Chamber of Commerce and get Seto and Mokuba's consult business paperwork taken care of and get the business established. In the meantime, they had takeout for dinner, and settled in their rooms to rest, relax, and bond with each other, and the babies.

* * *

The next day, Monday,

Seto, Misty, Mokuba, and Sophia had gotten up early and dressed in their nicer clothes, and got on the bus and went to the Chamber of Commerce, and waited for their turn. It took a few hours, but they managed to get everything they needed to do. Seto and Mokuba were now able to start their business! They were one step closer to getting their fortune back. They went to HEB on Nogalitos to get some easy food for a few days until Jane would come and help them, and after they had put the food away, they went to their rooms they shared with their spouse, and decided to have their own special brand of celebration ;).

* * *

The next day- Tuesday- Election Day…

Misty, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba had noticed the huge buzz about the election that day, but they had decided to enjoy the day exploring again. They had been so busy the last week getting things squared away, they hadn't had time for any fun, save for the fun they had in their hotel rooms, and they couldn't vote at this time anyway. Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia had just earned their citizenship, and it would take time for them to be registered to vote, and Misty hadn't been able to vote because she had been busy, and was not near her assigned voting station for her precinct. Plus, she had kinda wanted to vote WITH her family. She was hoping for one candidate to win, even though she wasn't fond of said candidate, and the other was just downright despicable and horrendous. It was hard to escape the election buzz, but they did their best. They were going to have a mini-honeymoon, and by dammit, they were going to enjoy it.

They hopped on a bus, and decided to head to The Pearl area, which was a posh, renovated area from what used to be a local brewery. Misty had only passed by it and had been dying to see it since it had been getting such rave reviews, and she had seen beautiful pictures of it. When they had visited the Pearl, they were awestruck by how beautiful it was, and how upscale it was. They were taking all kinds of pictures of themselves enjoying their surroundings at the Pearl. It actually was a bit romantic too.

Afterwards, they had decided to check out the King William District, the Botanical Garden, and the McNay Art Museum. It was quite a busy, fun day.

They then went back to the hotel and had a quick dinner of some microwavable meals and decided to settle down and watch TV together, in their separate rooms. They had a hard time trying to find something to watch that didn't deal with them talking about the election buzz, especially since the tallies weren't even going to be counted until much later. They found movies on TV that held their interest.

Eventually, they got to the point where they could not escape the election buzz; it was practically on every channel. They were tired, so they decided to go to bed. When they woke up… they were horrified… the horrendous despicable candidate won, which meant things were going to be a bit tougher for them. They were disgusted with the results, and tried to take their minds off it, but nothing helped. They were going to have to make the best of things.

* * *

Thursday…

Jane had returned to the hotel room with boxes and clear tape to help them get started on the move. Misty had also informed her mother that she was going to the house to get her things to move to their rental house down the street, and she was going to take Shadow. Her mom agreed to it, but she was kind of sad. Her mom asked if they could at least stay for dinner, her treat, which would be pizza.

"Sure, we can do that," Misty agreed. She, Seto, Sophia, and Mokuba then packed their things with Jane's help, and settled the bill for the hotel. Thankfully, Seto and Mokuba had enough money saved up to cover the hotel bill. They put their things in the moving truck Jane had rented, and then headed towards her mother's house in Jane's SUV while the driver of the moving truck followed them. They figured they could get all the things in the truck, and then unload it at their rental house in one fell swoop.

When Misty unlocked the door, she was greeted by a familiar nose, and familiar barking. As soon as she opened the door, Shadow went CRAZY with joy seeing her human mama again, and then her human daddy, and Uncle Mokuba and Aunt Sophia! All of her beloved family was there! She was wheezing deeply with joy.

"Take it easy baby," Misty said to her to try to calm her down. Shadow calmed down a bit, and then she noticed the other lady, and the man. She barked at Jane and the man at first, and then sniffed her, and decided she liked Jane. Jane had the smell of other dogs on her, so she was good people. The driver, she wasn't sure about. Lucky, however, was scared and had decided to go hide under the table.

"Aww, poor thing," Sophia and Jane remarked as they saw his appearance.

"Ah, he's fine that way," Misty replied casually. Yes, he was sick, but his appearance didn't bother him. She then opened the back door and both dogs bolted out to go potty and sniff around. While they explored the backyard, Seto, Mokuba, Jane, and the driver started taping boxes to take up to Misty's room and fill them with her things. Misty waited for Shadow and Lucky to come back inside and then fed them. Shadow happily went to her bowl and started chowing down with her tail wagging happily. Misty smiled and then went upstairs to help Seto, Mokuba, Jane, and the driver.

"No, no, no, you aren't allowed to carry anything!" Seto insisted with a stern look in his icy, sapphire eyes.

"Then how do you know what to pack or not?" Misty countered.

"You can tell us," Seto countered.

"That's true," Mokuba and Jane agreed.

"Misty, just let us pack for you. We'll take care of it," Jane reassured her. "Just tell us what you want to go in which box, and you can label them."

"Alright then," Misty replied. She was a little irritated, but directed them on which box to pack her things in, and when each box was filled, she put a label on the box to describe its contents. Misty also kept a close eye on the driver and made sure he didn't try to take anything that didn't belong to him. Thankfully, he was honest and didn't take anything.

* * *

A few hours later…

Misty's room and bathroom were empty of her belongings, and it felt surreal. It was really hard to see her room and bathroom this empty since she moved here from her grandma and grandpa's house, after her aunt, uncle, and cousin moved to their lake house. Misty then followed Seto, Mokuba, and Jane downstairs, and they packed her belongings that were left downstairs. Lucky still hadn't emerged from his spot under the table. Sophia had kept Shadow busy while, Misty, Seto, Mokuba, Jane, and the driver were packing Misty's and Shadow's things and putting them by the garage door to load into the moving truck. Once Misty had ensured they had gotten all her things, and Shadow's, Mokuba, Seto, and Jane had instructed her to go inside with Sophia while they loaded the truck with the driver. Misty sat down on the chaise lounge while Sophia sat on the couch and they watched TV. Though, as soon as Misty sat down, Shadow came directly to her and was demanding attention from her human mama. She hadn't seen her in more than a week, and she needed to make up for all the kisses and cuddles that her human mama had missed out on. Sure, she had given her kisses and affection when she came home, but she had to give her more. She had given Auntie Sophia all the kisses and cuddles she had missed out on the last few months, but now it was her human mama's turn. Misty and Sophia giggled at how lovey Shadow was being.

"She really missed you," Sophia observed.

"Yes she has, haven't you baby? Mama was gone for a little while and is just now spending time with you," Misty cooed to her and found her spot, earning a vigorous leg scratch, a big satisfied grin, and a pleasured stretch.

"Ohhh, big stretches," Misty teased affectionately and played with her. Eventually, Lucky had emerged from his hiding spot under the table to get some love.

"Ohh! Lucky decided he wants some love," Misty remarked and gave him some affection.

"My handsome scaredy boy," Misty cooed at him and scratched his back, which earned a grin. Then, he felt brave enough to go to Sophia. He had been watching Sophia and had decided she wasn't a threat. He sniffed her and her belly and nudged her gently, requesting affection.

"Oh, he likes you," Misty pointed out. Sophia smiled and pet him, which earned a grin and a mild tail wag.

"Hi Lucky, it's nice to meet you," Sophia told him gently, and noticed the small growth at the side of his mouth. "What's going on here?"

"It's a tumor… he has cancer," Misty explained grimly. He was ok for now, but it would get worse eventually. She was bummed about it for the last 3 or so months when he was diagnosed, but she and her mother were going to give him some good last few months without worrying too much about him. It would have cost too much to give him treatment, and he was too old for surgery.

"Oh, you poor baby," Sophia told Lucky sympathetically as she gave him more affection.

"He's ok, for now," Misty reassured her. "He's got a few months left, and he's going to enjoy them as best he can."

"Oh, ok," Sophia replied. A little while later, Lucky decided to relax on his dog bed near them, while Misty and Sophia watched TV with Shadow lying at their feet.

* * *

Another little while later…

Seto, Mokuba, Jane, and the driver were finished loading the boxes into the truck, took the truck to the house, unloaded everything into the garage, closed the garage, and then the driver dropped them off back at Misty's mother's house and drove back to the truck rental company. Seto, Mokuba, and Jane decided to come in and chill out while they waited for Misty's mom to come home for dinner.

"Alright, everything's unloaded in the garage at the house," Jane assured Misty and Sophia.

"Thanks Jane, Seto, and Mokuba," Misty thanked them.

"You're welcome," Jane, Seto, and Mokuba replied. Misty got them some bottled water and they waited for Misty's mom to come home.

"Thanks Misty," Seto, Mokuba, and Jane thanked her. Lucky was nervous again and went to hide under the table again.

"What's with him?" Seto asked as he sipped the bottle of water.

"He's very skittish, especially around men and people he doesn't know. Give him a little while to come to you," Misty explained.

"Alright," they agreed and Shadow came up to her human daddy and uncle to lavish attention and love on them to make up for the last few months.

"Hi Shadow!" Mokuba said happily as he hugged her and got kisses.

"Hey Shadow," Seto greeted with a smile as he pet her happily. Shadow's tail wagged wildly and she was so excited she started wheezing again.

"Shadow, calm down, calm down," Misty said calmly as she tried to calm her down. Eventually, she started calming down and then plopped down happily at their feet. They all chuckled and then relaxed.

* * *

About 7:00 p.m. Misty's mother came home with 2 pizzas, cheesy breadsticks, cookie brownies, and sodas.

"Hey mom," Misty greeted with a kiss on the cheek and helped take the pizza, while Seto and Mokuba got up to help her with the others.

"Hey babe," her mother replied. "Hi Seto, Hi Mokuba, Hi Sophia, Hi…" her mother greeted and wasn't sure of the other friend's name.

"Hi," Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia greeted back.

"Mom, this is my friend Jane. Jane, this is my mom," Misty introduced them.

"Hi, I'm Carmen," her mother introduced herself to Jane.

"Nice to meet you," Jane replied. They then each got a couple slices of pizza, some cheesy breadsticks and served themselves some soda. Misty's mom then blessed the food and toasted to the new home, and the fact that they were all together tonight.

"Amen," they all said when the blessing was finished and started to eat and enjoy it. Misty's mom then started getting a little bit emotional, and she tried to hide it so as not to make everyone else feel awkward. When she finished eating, Misty pulled her aside.

"Mom, what is it?" Misty asked.

"I can't believe you're moving out, and starting your own family," her mother lamented. "It's going to be so weird without you here."

"I know, but look at it this way, I'm just down the street. You can visit me anytime, just call ahead," Misty reassured her and hugged her on her side. Misty let her mother calm down before letting go. Seto, Mokuba, Sophia, and Jane finished eating, and helped clean up. Misty, Sophia, and Jane got their purses, Misty hitched Shadow's leash onto her collar, grabbed her bowl, some dog food, and they got in Jane's SUV and drove down the street to their new home. Once Jane dropped them off, she bade them good-bye and Misty, Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia thanked her for her help, and vowed to get together again soon and hang out. Seto and Mokuba had told Misty and Sophia to wait outside a moment while they unlocked the door and took Shadow, her bowl, and food inside, shut her in a room so she wouldn't get out, and then went out and swept their beautiful, pregnant wives off their feet and carried them over the threshold of the front door.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Kaibas," Seto and Mokuba told their wives with a kiss and shut and locked the front door. Misty and Sophia happily kissed back and then Seto and Mokuba set them down and let Shadow out of the room so she could sniff out and explore her new home. Misty then went to dig out her sheets, pillows, and blankets from the bedding box and made the beds so they could have something to sleep in, While Seto, Mokuba, and Sophia got their luggage set up in the rooms. Seto had brought his luggage into the room Misty had claimed with the bedding she was using on her bed, while Mokuba and Sophia took the room on the other side of the house and used the spare sheets Misty had. They changed into comfortable clothes and relaxed in their beds, with Seto sometimes getting out of bed to let Shadow outside. Shadow sniffed around her new yard, and relieved herself, and then went back inside. Seto locked the back door resumed cuddling with Misty, and soon they fell asleep. Today was a long, exhausting day. Almost everything was set into place where it should be right now; They had their home for a year, their citizenship, their business permits, and all they needed now was a driver's license and a car, and to get their home, phone, internet, and TV set up, but they would worry about that a little later.

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter update. Time for them to get down to business, (to defeat the Huns LOL sorry, couldn't resist) to get their lives on track, get ready for the babies, and celebrate their first Thanksgiving and a big baby shower. **  
**

Just a reminder, the next three chapters may be the last (unless y'all want me to keep going with the babies growing up), and don't forget to review. New reviews=new chapters immediately released upon finishing.


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